The House rules package released Wednesday raises the threshold for removing the Speaker of the House, as some conservatives consider a move to oust Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA).
The House rules package raises the threshold to introduce the motion to vacate, a parliamentary procedure to remove the Speaker of the House. The new threshold requires that a member of the majority party — in this case, Republicans — and eight additional members of that same party sign onto the motion to vacate to remove the Speaker.
This is a drastic change to insulate Johnson from being potentially ousted. The prior rule required only one House lawmaker to introduce the motion to vacate.
While some Republicans have considered supporting a potential move to oust Johnson, President-elect Donald Trump endorsed Johnson on December 30 after letting the Speaker twist in the wind for 11 days.
Trump wrote in a relatively boilerplate language:
LETS NOT BLOW THIS GREAT OPPORTUNITY WHICH WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN. The American people need IMMEDIATE relief from all of the destructive policies of the last Administration. Speaker Mike Johnson is a good, hard working, religious man. He will do the right thing, and we will continue to WIN. Mike has my Complete & Total Endorsement. MAGA!!!
Trump reportedly fumed when Johnson failed to raise the debt ceiling as part of the recent government spending deal.
WATCH — Exclusive — Steve Bannon: “Johnson’s Got to Go as Speaker of the House”:
Even though the president-elect endorsed Johnson, some conservatives are convinced that Johnson may not have the votes to become Speaker.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) has committed to vote for someone other than Johnson, and Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) said he and many other of his Republican colleagues remain undecided.
With Massie’s one vote against Johnson, the Louisiana leader can only afford to lose one more Republican on the House floor to keep the Speaker’s gavel.
Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN) said Republicans “need to get assurances” that Johnson will not sell them out to the Washington, DC, “swamp.”
I understand why President Trump is endorsing Speaker Johnson as he did Speaker Ryan, which is definitely important. However, we still need to get assurances that @SpeakerJohnson won’t sell us out to the swamp.
— Rep. Victoria Spartz (@RepSpartz) December 30, 2024
Donald Trump endorses Paul Ryan, John McCain https://t.co/Xa0tcTKpWk
The House rules change enraged those on the other side of the aisle.
Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), the ranking member of the House Rules Committee, scolded Republicans for only allowing members of the majority party to offer motions to vacate.
“Their proposed changes would, for the first time in American history, shield the Speaker from accountability to the entire chamber,” McGovern said.
“The American people did not vote for whatever the hell this is — and you better believe that Democrats will not let Republicans turn the House of Representatives into a rubber stamp for their extremist policies,” he continued.
The House will convene on Friday, where it will first move to elect a Speaker, swear in its members, and vote on a rules package.
Sean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on X @SeanMoran3.
