McGovern: Democrats won't be 'cheap date' to help Speaker Johnson keep his job
Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) said Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) needs to understand that House Democrats are not a “cheap date” and will need “something” in return to save his gavel from the motion to vacate introduced last month by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.).
“If Speaker Johnson wants help in staying as Marjorie Taylor Greene decides to move her resolution forward ... then he has to understand that we are not a cheap date,” McGovern, ranking member of the Rules Committee, said during an appearance on “The Julie Mason Show” on SiriusXM.
“There has to be something in here that we can justify to our constituents that in fact, justifies a vote to keep Speaker Johnson in office,” he said. “So, we will have to see how all of that plays out.”
Greene has been intensifying her threat to oust Johnson, but some Democrats have said they would be willing to step in and save him depending on how he handled Ukraine aid, which was ultimately included in a foreign aid package that easily passed with bipartisan support this past weekend.
“Mike Johnson’s Speakership is over,” Greene said in an interview with Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures.” “He needs to do the right thing — to resign — and allow us to move forward in a controlled process. If he doesn’t do so, he will be vacated.”
Despite her measure getting support last week from two fellow GOP House lawmakers, Reps. Thomas Massie (Ky.) and Paul Gosar (Ariz.), the resolution has not yet gained the backing of other conservatives, who for months have been disappointed, like Greene, with Johnson’s bipartisan deal-making on major legislation.
“I think we do the best we can with the Speaker that we have: influence him to the best of our ability, expose what we believe are wrong actions by, not just the Speaker, but everyone who is voting to support those actions — and have a contest to see who the conference can coalesce around as the best option in November,” said Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.), head of the far-right Freedom Caucus, who was one of the eight Republicans who voted to remove former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) last October.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said the White House is not advising the House Democrats on what to do in case of Johnson’s potential ouster.
Date: |
Filter
-
Before Mike Johnson and Kevin McCarthy, there was ‘Uncle Joe,’ a Speaker who fought his own GOP rebels
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is facing a threat a few of his Republican predecessors can relate to: members of his own party vowing to oust him from power.NBC News - Top stories -
Why Mike Johnson Won't Be Kevin McCarthy'd
Infighting fatigue among Republicans—and a shift by Democrats—are set to block Marjorie Taylor Greene’s effort to oust the House speaker.The Wall Street Journal - World -
Racist abuse 'won't put me off' says new Derry mayor
Lilian Seenoi-Barr says racist abuse has made her more determined to represent Derry and Strabane as mayor.BBC News - Top stories
More from The Hill
-
White House: Trump Gestapo comment echoes 'appalling rhetoric of fascists'
The White House on Sunday slammed former President Trump after he compared the Biden administration to the Gestapo police force in Nazi Germany. "Instead of echoing the appalling rhetoric of fascists, lunching with Neo Nazis, and fanning debunked ...The Hill - Politics - Donald Trump -
New York City prisons will halt use of body cameras after device caught fire
The New York City Department of Corrections said Sunday that it will temporarily suspend the use of body-worn cameras by its officers after one of the devices caught on fire while in use last week. The department said one officer needed treatment ...The Hill - Politics - New York -
CIA director to travel to Israel for more cease-fire and hostage talks
CIA Director William Burns is set to travel to Israel on Monday to continue cease-fire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, The Associated Press (AP) reported, as Israeli leaders downplay the likelihood of any deal that could end the conflict. ...The Hill - Politics - Israel -
USC protest encampment cleared by police
The protest encampment on the University of Southern California’s (USC) campus has been cleared by police, the school announced Sunday. USC was one of the many universities across the country that had garnered national attention in recent weeks ...The Hill - Politics -
Will abortion turn Florida from red to blue?
Democrats are hoping the fight for reproductive rights can turn Florida from red to blue in the fall. Once a quintessential swing state, Florida has shifted right in the Trump era, with the politics of the former president and Republican Gov. Ron ...The Hill - Politics - Abortion