Since assuming the role of Speaker last October — a position he secured following the removal of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) due to his handling of sprawling spending bills and his failure to fulfill the commitments he made to clinch the speakership — Johnson has found himself at the center of a storm of intra-party criticism. During an appearance on Steve Bannon’s War Room, Greene defended her decision to file the motion to vacate, vehemently criticizing Johnson for working with Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer to pass a “Democrat bill” with little opposition. “This is a disaster. This is something that every single Republican voter in the country is screaming against,” Greene said. “This takes away every single ounce of strength and leverage that the House of Representatives have in this invasion that is happening at our border.” House Republicans have sought to broker a deal that includes significant improvement in securing the U.S. southern border in exchange for passing other spending measures. Days before the bill’s final text was released, Johnson said during a closed-door meeting that it provided funding for an increase in detention beds for handling the surge at the border. The bill increases Border Patrol’s detention capacity, and increases by 25 percent funding for border monitoring. The controversy centers not just on the bill’s content but also on its process. The bill, which spans 1,012 pages, was released just a day before the scheduled vote, inciting outrage among lawmakers and constituents alike for its lack of transparency and the haste with which it was pushed through. Greene told Bannon she believes it’s hard to fathom how Johnson was able to get 100 Republicans to vote for this bill. “They're going to go back home for our two week recess over Easter, and they are going to be absolutely obliterated by their districts,” Greene warned. “The security of our border should be the number one priority by every single elected official in the United States of America. That's by the Constitution, that's by the office, the oath that we swear for the offices that we hold. That applies to every Democrat and every single Republican,” Greene said. “Yes, he said that our border security should be number one. Mike Johnson has gotten rolled, completely, totally, in every single process. He has not negotiated with strength. He's handed every single thing over to Chuck Schumer,” Greene continued. “This is Chuck Schumer's bill. This is a bill that the White House has said, ‘Pass as fast as possible. Pass it because Joe Biden wants to sign it into law.’ This is the worst possible scenario for Republicans and it signals to the entire country that Republicans are not in control of the House of Representatives, the Democrats are. And that instead of Mike Johnson and Republicans being in control of the speaker, Chuck Schumer is in control.” When asked by Bannon if she will lead the call for a motion to vacate, Greene repelled, “Steve, we are going to be making decisions on a minute by minute basis today and I urge you to watch and see what happens.” Shortly after the video was posted, the House passed the $1.2 trillion spending bill. Given that members are about to recess for Easter, it is likely that a vote on a motion to vacate will not be taken up until after the recess.In a move that has intensified the ongoing tumult within the House Republican caucus, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) has taken the step of filing a motion to vacate the speakership of Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) following Johnson's controversial decision to push forward a $1.2 trillion spending package.
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