House Republicans Mull Rules Change to Help Speaker

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House Republican leaders are considering using debate over a $95 billion foreign aid package to add language that would raise the threshold required to vacate the speakership, Punchbowl News reported.

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., said Tuesday he’s co-sponsoring a motion by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., to vacate the chair and remove Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., from his position. Greene hasn’t sought a vote yet.

Current House rules allow that any member can trigger a vote to remove Johnson. The GOP’s 218-213 majority means that only a few Republicans would be needed to join Democrats in voting to vacate the speakership.

To avoid further chaos in the chamber, House Republican leadership is discussing embedding language in the rule for debating the foreign aid legislation that would raise the threshold needed to file motions to vacate, Punchbowl News reported Thursday.

The outlet added that Johnson has not decided whether to pursue the change.

Though a change in the rules could secure his position, Johnson undoubtedly would further anger conservatives if he agrees to it.

Johnson, facing a choice between potentially losing his job and advancing aid for Ukraine, forged ahead Wednesday toward a vote later this week on a package of funding that also includes Israel and Taiwan.

During a recent staff meeting in the speaker’s office, Johnson was told by an aide he has “FISA [Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act], Ukraine and the speakership,” and that he can’t have all three, Punchbowl News reported.

House GOP leaders want to push through legislation, a modified version of last year’s H.R. 2, that includes the foreign aid, border security and other measures, such as a revised TikTok ban, Punchbowl News reported.

However, the House Rules Committee’s hearing to pass the bills stalled late Wednesday night.

The panel was scheduled to meet again Thursday at 10 a.m.

The House Freedom Caucus and other conservatives are against any foreign aid package until the Biden administration makes changes to its border security policy.

Under then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi, only party leaders could file a motion to vacate.

Her successor, Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., agreed to lower the requirement to one member, and that ultimately cost him his job after Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., filed a motion to vacate.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.