House conservatives who are threatening to file a motion to vacate House Speaker Mike Johnson’s chair have told the Louisiana Republican what assurances they want from him in order to stave off the action.
According to Fox News, Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., held a closed-door meeting with Johnson for about two hours late Monday afternoon, following their pledge last week to push for a House-wide vote on his removal. They did not, however, provide any specifics to reporters immediately after the meeting but mentioned plans for a follow-up discussion with Johnson on Tuesday.
However, sources informed Fox News Digital that they are broadly pursuing four key points, which include halting further funding for Ukraine and special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into former President Donald Trump.
They are also insisting that Johnson commits to preventing any legislation from reaching a House-wide vote unless it garners the support of a majority of the House GOP, a long-standing informal rule referred to as the Hastert rule, named after a former Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert.
Fox added:
On government funding, the conservatives are also pushing Johnson to adhere to the Massie rule, which would require automatic federal spending cuts if an agreement is not reached on fiscal year 2025 funding by the Sept. 30 deadline.
Fox News Digital reached out to Greene, Massie and Johnson’s offices for comment. A spokesman for Greene declined to discuss the contents of a private meeting.
Meanwhile, Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., the third GOP rebel who joined Greene’s motion to vacate the chair—a resolution seeking a House-wide vote on removing the speaker—indicated to reporters on Monday evening that he preferred to give Johnson additional time to reconsider his stance.
“I don’t think it’s going to happen this week. I hope it doesn’t happen this week,” Gosar told reporters. “I think it would be nice to see him go back to regular order, get things coming from committees, you get a majority of the majority to get something on the floor.”
Johnson told reporters on Monday evening that the meeting was “lengthy” but “constructive.”
“We have discussed some ideas, and, we’re going to meet again tomorrow,” Johnson said. “I just want to say, and I told them, and I’ve said this repeatedly, that I understand the frustration. I share it. I would really like to advance much more of our conservative policy on a daily basis here. But, the reality is we are working with the smallest majority in U.S. history with a one-vote margin.”
