Former Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.) said he did not expect an effort by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) to oust Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to gain much momentum.
In an interview Sunday on MSNBC, Curbelo said he does not think either party wants a repeat of the Speakership battle that for weeks left House business at a standstill as the slim Republican majority struggled to find a leader to replace former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.)
“Republicans don’t want to go through another leadership battle — at least not most of them, including some of the eight who voted to oust Kevin McCarthy. And truthfully, a lot of Democrats don’t want to go through another fiasco, another embarrassment where the House is leaderless for two, three weeks,” Curbelo said.
“So I do think that even if Marjorie Taylor Greene does move forward with this, I don’t think it’s going to get very far. Mike Johnson has learned what every other Speaker has shown here, at least Republican Speakers: In order to make the House a stable place that can pass big pieces of legislation, bipartisan cooperation is needed,” he added.
Greene, ahead of the two-week holiday recess, filed a motion to vacate the Speaker’s chair. The move threatens to set up a vote to oust Johnson as Speaker.
Greene’s frustration with Johnson boiled over after he worked with Democrats to pass a spending package that averted a partial government shutdown but lacked many conservative policy demands. A majority of Republicans voted against the measure, which ultimately passed with the help of Democratic votes.
With an understanding that there is not much of an appetite for another Speakership battle in her GOP conference, Greene has used the motion to vacate as a point of leverage against Johnson. She is warning that movement on Ukraine aid could be the final straw.
“If he passes that $60 billion to Ukraine, and then follows up with FISA reauthorization, you’re going to see a lot more Republicans than just me coming out saying his Speakership is over with,” Greene told The Washington Post.
Curbelo said he still expects Johnson to pass Ukraine aid, with the support of Democrats.
“You’re going to see Mike Johnson lean on Democrats to get this national security package passed. It will likely get more Democratic votes than Republican votes again, but that is the only way for the House to move forward,” Curbelo said. “And the Speaker has realized that he can only count on bipartisan majorities for these kinds of must-pass bills.”