Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., has only a few weeks until her time in the House of Representatives is over, and she’s capping it off with a bold effort: ousting House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. Greene’s effort is the latest undertaking from GOP women in the House to circumvent Johnson as they sought leadership positions as well as votes on several specific bills.
Greene reportedly is working behind the scenes to gather the necessary nine Republican signatures needed to trigger a vote to replace Johnson, MS Now reported. The news cast another blow to Johnson, following Greene’s previous attempt in May 2024 to remove him and a separate vote that he narrowly won in January.
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Greene announced last month that she would resign halfway through her third term in Congress. She leaves office on Jan. 5.
The Georgia representative wrote on X Wednesday night that she’ll consider signing every discharge petition seeking to bring legislation to the House floor “whether I support the bill or not.” She has not yet publicly commented or spoken about her move to oust Johnson from the Speaker’s role.
“Every Member deserves the right to represent their district and receive a recorded vote on their bills,” Greene wrote. “This is a result of House leadership blocking Members from governing.”
Johnson seemed to shrug off the potential challenge by Greene and others, telling reporters on Dec. 4 that it is “part of the process.”
“It doesn’t bother me,” Johnson said, according to The Associated Press. “But when there is a conflict or concern, I always ask all members to come to me, don’t go to social media.”
Republican women sidestep Johnson
The most public tactic by Republican women in the House was to champion a discharge petition that forced a vote on the bipartisan Epstein Files Transparency Act. Johnson stood firm against a roll call vote, keeping the House out of session for weeks while arguing the monthlong government shutdown that began Oct. 1 was his main focus.
The tides changed in the chamber once Trump signed legislation to reopen the government. Greene, Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., Nancy Mace, R-S.C., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., rallied to get enough signatures on the discharge petition to force a vote. The measure passed with all but one representative in support.
Any representative can bring forward a discharge petition to force a vote on their bills, according to the Congressional Research Service. It’s an extreme measure that pulls legislation out of committee and evades the authority of the Speaker. The petitions can only be filed if a bill has been in committee for at least 30 legislative days.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., recently filed a petition for her bill that would bar members of Congress from trading stocks while in office. She wrote on X that both parties’ leadership acknowledged the practice is a serious problem, but failed to call a vote.
“We’re tired of the partisan games,” Luna said in a video, appearing beside Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn. ”This is the most bipartisan thing in U.S. history, and it’s time the House of Representatives listens to the American people.”
Republican women upset with Johnson
The frustrations over Johnson’s leadership also comes as fewer Republican women make up the party’s House caucus. According to Rutgers University’s Center for American Women and Politics, there are 31 Republican and 94 Democrat women in the House. Together, they make up less than one-third of the chamber.
As Speaker, Johnson has the power to appoint members to leadership positions in several House committees. But Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., is the only female committee chair. She presides over the House Rules Committee. All 19 similar positions are held by Republican men.
Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., has chaired the House Republican leadership sinceJohnson appointed her to the position in April. However, she is leaving the House to run for governor of New York. She spoke about the rifts with Johnson on CNBC, but said the two came to a “great breakthrough” in early December regarding the House’s defense authorization bill, which passed Wednesday night 312-112.
Greene was one of the “nay” votes against the bill. She previously told CNN that women in her party were being ignored as her Protect Children’s Innocence Act rested in committee for several months. It’s now been scheduled for a floor vote on Dec. 16. The bill would criminalize gender affirming care for transgender minors — a practice Harvard University researchers said rarely happens.
“Mike Johnson refuses to bring my bills to the floor,” Greene wrote on Dec. 9. “Bills that would codify President Trump’s executive orders into permanent law!”
