A small but vocal group of MAGA Republicans has turned the U.S. House into a circus, and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia is determined to be the ringmaster.
In a blistering Wednesday news conference on the Capitol steps, Greene vowed to force a vote on the motion to eject Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana as speaker of the House.
Greene filed the motion to vacate in late March but waited to call for a vote. In Wednesday’s news conference she said that was a warning Johnson didn’t heed.
“I was controlled. I was responsible,” Greene insisted. “I was being conscious and caring about my conference and our majority.”
The lack of party unity could put the Republican majority in jeopardy.
But Greene doesn’t care about the Republican majority. If she did, she would’ve listened to nearly every one of her Republican colleagues and other top Republican officials who urged her not to take this path. The lack of party unity could put the Republican majority in jeopardy.
According to Politico, Greene met face to face with Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley the day before her announcement. The chairman emphasized to the outlet that “nothing is more important than party unity and ensuring that we are focused on beating Joe Biden and Democrats in November.”
And while Greene insists she’s tilting at the “motion to vacate” windmill out of concern for her party and the MAGA agenda, even former President Donald Trump urged her to back off. In a joint appearance with Johnson less than a month ago, Trump told the media that “I stand with the speaker” and urged his critics to focus on “much bigger problems.”
If that isn’t enough, Greene’s motion doesn’t even meet her own standards for forcing legislation to the floor, because it isn’t supported by a majority of her Republican colleagues.
As recently as last month, Greene chastised Johnson for violating what’s known as the “Hastert Rule” — an informal policy that the speaker doesn’t allow legislation to the floor until it’s favored by the majority of the majority party. “A Republican speaker doesn’t do that,” she said.
In October, Greene warned then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California, explicitly urging him to “not violate the Hastert Rule.”
But when the House gavels in next week, Greene is expected to force a vote on the motion to vacate. It will fail when a majority of House Republicans and even a number of House Democrats vote against it, as Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York recently promised.
The House of Representatives is a 435-seat body. When one of its members goes rogue and demands their way or the highway and works to sabotage efforts toward productivity and consensus, that member is bucking the way the founders designed Congress to work.
Greene’s record indicates a determination to slow Congress’ work for the American people. During her first term in 2021, she repeatedly forced unnecessary votes and motions to adjourn to delay legislation she didn’t like, irritating even her Republican colleagues in the process.
Tactics like Greene’s are why the 118th Congress is on track to be the least productive in modern history.
She’s used every tool at her disposal to delay or block bipartisan legislation, whether for foreign aid or just funding the government. Tactics like Greene’s are why the 118th Congress is on track to be the least productive in modern history.
Most House Republicans, including Johnson, seem to be waking up to the reality that with a razor-thin majority, they’ll have to reach across the aisle to allay any of the problems the American people face.
After all, “congress” literally means “the act or action of coming together and meeting.”
Greene’s objections may be loud and incendiary, but if Republicans see her antics for what they are and choose instead to put partisanship aside for good faith conversations, her governing style can fade into irrelevance and elected officials can finally get back to work.
For more thought-provoking insights from Michael Steele, Symone Sanders-Townsend and Alicia Menendez, watch “The Weekend” every Saturday and Sunday at 8 a.m. ET on MSNBC.
