On April 30, Democratic lawmakers met in a closed-door meeting to discuss the leadership of the House of Representatives. During this meeting, Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries announced that his party would support House Speaker Mike Johnson against an attempt to overthrow him by far-right Republican lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene. Despite being in the minority, Democrats pledged to defend Johnson, marking an unusual move as it showed Democratic support for a Republican member holding a leadership position in the House.
Greene had announced that she would ask the House to vote to dismiss Johnson after he allowed the passage of a foreign aid bill benefitting Ukraine. The Democrats have pledged to block Greene’s efforts to remove Johnson, seeing an opportunity to distance the House speaker from the far-right faction within the Republican Party. This move is aimed at ensuring that Johnson continues to rely on the Democrats to deal with any challenges in the House.
In response to Greene’s announcement, new regulations for removing the Speaker of the House were introduced by Johnson’s predecessor McCarthy. These regulations make it easier for any member to present a resolution for dismissal without needing additional support. If approved by a majority vote, the speaker will lose their position within two days. Democrats are hoping that these regulations will prevent chaos in the House and show themselves as responsible leaders by supporting Johnson in this scenario.
Supporting Johnson may not result in immediate gains for the Democrats, but it aligns with their goal of preventing chaos and maintaining stability in