Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has warned Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene would cause "chaos" in Congress by forcing a vote to remove him from his position.
Louisiana Republican Johnson angered Georgia Republican Greene by working with Democrats to pass a bill to fund the government and avert a shutdown last month after months of stalled negotiations on the legislation.
A staunch conservative, Greene has introduced a non-privileged motion to vacate against Johnson over the legislation and on Tuesday doubled down on her threats to bring the motion to a vote.
Greene forcing a vote on the motion to vacate would leave Johnson in a perilous position due to the Republicans' narrow majority in the House of Representatives. He could afford only two detractors from his own party, meaning his fate would likely be left in the hands of whether Democrats vote to save his speakership.
On Tuesday, Greene warned Johnson against passing a bill to provide supplemental aid to Ukraine as it continues battling Russia for control over its easternmost regions. Conservatives such as Greene have opposed aid, arguing those funds should instead be spent to strengthen border security along the U.S.-Mexico border.
"With so much at stake for our future and the future of our children, I will not tolerate this type of Republican 'leadership,'" Greene wrote. "This has been a complete and total surrender to, if not complete and total lockstep with, the Democrats' agenda that has angered our Republican base so much and given them very little reason to vote for a Republican House majority."
Johnson on Wednesday responded to Greene's threats during a press conference, issuing a warning about what a motion to vacate would mean for Congress.
"I don't think that would be helpful to us from a political standpoint for the Republican Party to continue to govern, maintain and keep our majority in November. I think that would have been a great hindrance to it. And so, that wouldn't be helpful. Nor does a motion to vacate help us in that regard, either. It would be chaos in the House," he said.
Johnson and Greene met later on Wednesday to discuss the matter, he said. According to CNN's Manu Raju, their meeting lasted for at least 70 minutes.
Greene is someone Johnson has "considered a friend," the Speaker said, noting that he does not believe they disagree ideologically, just on strategy. Johnson added that he agrees with Greene's frustration over the appropriations bill, but the slim majority of the House, and divided state of government, means Republicans cannot do "big transformational changes."
"We will never get 100 percent of what we want and believe is necessary for the country, because that's the reality. It's a matter of math," he said.
Newsweek reached out to Greene's office for comment via email.
Should Greene introduce a motion to vacate Johnson's speakership, it would mark the second time a speaker faced potential ouster so far since Republicans took control of the House in November 2022.
Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, was removed from his position after Representative Matt Gaetz, a Florida Republican, introduced a motion to vacate over his deal with Democrats to pass a short-term spending bill. The vote set off weeks of chaos as Republicans struggled to rally behind a new leader, though Johnson eventually secured enough support to ascend to the position.
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Andrew Stanton is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in Maine. His role is reporting on U.S. politics and social issues. ... Read more
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