House Speaker Mike Johnson and fellow Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene met Wednesday amid Greene’s looming menace to take away Johnson from his publish.
It was their first sit-down since Greene launched a movement to vacate the speaker’s chair simply earlier than lawmakers left Washington final month for a two-week recess.
Greene exited the assembly nonetheless pissed off with Johnson’s dealing with of a number of hot-button points, together with further assist for Ukraine and the reauthorization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).
The Georgia congresswoman mentioned she obtained many “excuses” from Johnson, and that no deal or guarantees had been made — signaling they made little progress over the course of practically an hour.
“This assembly did not make clear my timing [on a motion to vacate the speaker],” she mentioned. She claimed that “so much” of the Republican convention agrees with the movement regardless of some criticism.
Greene has additionally taken situation with Johnson for working with Democrats to keep away from a authorities shutdown. She laid out her point-by-point case for opposing Johnson in a letter to colleagues on Tuesday.
“I do not need to trigger hurt to our convention,” she mentioned after their assembly. “This is one thing that is going to take time.”
Johnson defended his management technique forward of his one-on-one with Greene.
In a press convention alongside different House Republican leaders earlier Wednesday, Johnson famous Greene’s anger over the House passage of funding payments to avert a authorities shutdown, telling reporters he shared her frustration, however they’re restricted with a one-vote majority within the House and a Democrat-controlled Senate and White House.
“We aren’t going to get, due to that actuality, we aren’t going to have the ability to do huge transformational adjustments that we would like, that we all know are essential,” Johnson mentioned, including: “We won’t ever get 100% of what we would like and consider is critical for the nation as a result of that is the truth. It’s a matter of math within the Congress.”
Johnson additionally pushed again that he did not consider permitting the federal government to close down was within the GOP’s political pursuits as they give the impression of being to maintain and increase their majority within the November elections.
“That would put loads of stress on the American folks … at a really determined time,” Johnson mentioned of a potential shutdown.
“Nor does a movement to vacate assist us in that regard both. It can be chaos within the House,” Johnson mentioned.
On Ukraine assist, Greene mentioned she urged Johnson to not deliver extra help to Ukraine to the ground for a vote.
“We aren’t answerable for a conflict in Ukraine. We are answerable for the conflict on our border,” Greene instructed reporters. “And I made that clear to Speaker Johnson, that the United States border is the one border that issues and that if he strikes ahead and funding Ukraine that he will be personally answerable for funding the continued homicide of individuals abroad that isn’t a NATO ally of ours, and that the American folks don’t assist.”
The Senate handed its personal $95 billion nationwide safety supplemental invoice in February that included help for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, however Johnson has not introduced it to the House ground for a vote. In an interview with Fox News throughout recess, Johnson pledged to behave on Ukraine assist when lawmakers returned to Washington.
But as of Wednesday, Johnson mentioned particulars on a measure to offer help to Ukraine as Russia’s invasion rages on had been nonetheless being labored out.
“On the supplemental, the House members are persevering with to actively focus on our choices on a path ahead,” he mentioned within the GOP press convention. “There are loads of totally different concepts on that. It’s a really difficult matter at a really difficult time. The clock is ticking on it and everybody right here feels the urgency of that, however what’s required is that you just attain consensus on it and that is what we’re engaged on.”
Later Wednesday, in one other dangerous signal for Johnson’s relationship with hard-line Republicans, the speaker’s effort to maneuver ahead with a invoice to reauthorize FISA failed.
A key procedural vote failed 193-228 with 19 House Republicans voting towards the measure, regardless of statements from each Johnson and the White House that FISA is essential to nationwide safety.
“We will regroup and formulate one other plan. We can’t enable Section 720 of FISA to run out. It’s too essential to nationwide safety. I feel a lot of the members perceive that,” Johnson instructed reporters.
“It’s by no means useful for almost all celebration to take down its personal rule,” he added.
