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House Speaker Mike Johnson and Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene met again Tuesday on whether to reach a resolution to postpone the vote, as Georgia House members continue to threaten a vote to remove the speaker. remains unclear.
After the second meeting, Mr Green did not say when he would push for a vote, nor did he commit to moving to remove him this week, but gave Mr Johnson time to act on his list of demands. “It’s pretty short,” he said. But the vote to remove the speaker is certain to fail, as she has announced that House Democrats will vote to deny her motion.
“The ball is in Mike Johnson’s court right now,” Green told CNN’s Manu Raju. “We are interested in seeing his actions, not his words.”
The demands she cited include that Johnson abide by the so-called “Hastert Rule.” This stipulates that a majority of the majority must support all bills introduced on the floor. Defund Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into former President Donald Trump. No more aid to Ukraine. And if the 12 individual spending bills for fiscal year 2025 cannot be completed, the federal budget will be cut by 1%.
Mr. Green said he was awaiting a response from the speakers. She added that they did not give him a deadline to respond.
“I didn’t give a specific schedule, but it’s pretty short,” she said.
“Well, we’ll see,” Greene said when asked if she intended to press for a removal vote this week, as she previously said she intended to do. That’s up to Mike Johnson.”
Late Tuesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson did not say whether he would comply with the request.
“We’re having discussions. That’s it,” Johnson told CNN.
Mr Johnson also said the talks had been “productive” and he was “optimistic” that a solution could be reached.
“As I said, like all members of the council, we are considering a number of ideas and proposals. That’s part of the process here,” he told reporters. “So I’m optimistic that we can come to some kind of solution.”
Mr. Johnson and Mr. Greene spoke for about two hours on Monday, but afterward Mr. Greene declined to provide details of what was discussed, nor did he say whether he would push for a vote to force Mr. Johnson out again this week. avoided.
Mr Johnson defended his leadership against the threat, saying he would not resign and warning that a vote to remove him could cause chaos in the House of Commons.
On Tuesday, ahead of the meeting, Prime Minister Boris Johnson emphasized his close relationship with President Trump, expressing confidence that he intends to “lead this meeting in the future” and that he is “delighted to have President Trump’s support.” showed.
Mr Johnson insisted his meeting was not a negotiation but sought input from all members.
“It’s not a negotiation,” he said. “I know that I have long discussions and detailed discussions every day with members across the council, and we have 217 people, and that takes up a lot of time,” he told reporters. It will take a while,” he said.
Trump and Greene discussed her motion by phone, people familiar with the call told CNN.
Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, one of three Republicans who have publicly advocated for Johnson to step down, told Johnson ahead of Tuesday’s meeting that he would agree to several “proposals.” He said he would give Johnson and Greene “one last chance.”
“I think Marjorie is being very careful and rational and logical about this, and she and I have one last chance to tell Speaker Johnson that we’re going to be with the Republicans, not the Democrats,” Massey told CNN. I decided to give it,” he said. “There’s kind of a litmus test to that, but these are important things for the conference.”
Many Republicans oppose expelling Johnson because they don’t want the conference to descend into violent infighting, as it did last year when former Speaker Kevin McCarthy was ousted in a historic and unprecedented vote. .
Johnson briefly mentioned his ongoing conversations with Green during his press conference, but did not provide specific details.
Some House Republicans on Tuesday expressed concern about giving in to any demands and giving Greene more power.
“I think if you negotiate with two members who want one thing, you’re going to lose 30 members who want something different,” said Rep. Kelly Armstrong, R-North Dakota. I think I understand,” he said. “I’m always hesitant to agree to something if I know the goalposts will move within five minutes.”
“I don’t deal with terrorists,” said Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Florida.
“I don’t associate with people who threaten me. I never have and I never will,” Jimenez said. “If I don’t do it, I don’t think he should either.”
But with a narrow majority, Johnson has few options at this point, as he wants to avoid a spectacle in the chamber months before an election.
“The speaker is dealing with a practical art here, not a philosophical one, so I’m going to support his decision,” said California Republican Rep. John Duarte. “I think it’s extremely unfortunate that a small number of members of Congress are putting the Speaker in this very difficult position at a time when he should be focusing on what’s important to the American people.”
House Minority Leader Steve Scalise said the speaker simply has an “open door policy” and will meet with anyone who has an issue they want to raise.
Mr. Scalise did not want to get into the details of what Mr. Green and Mr. Massey are seeking. But when asked about the possibility that he would vow not to bring in any additional aid to Ukraine, Scalise said additional aid to Ukraine probably wouldn’t come soon anyway.
“If you look at the last Ukraine bill, it took months to get the coalition together,” he said.
Asked if she was concerned that agreeing to something with Greene would give her power, Scalise said: This is a time when everyone knows that we either all move in the same direction or we fail to move forward with the week’s agenda. We must remain united. ”
Meanwhile, Johnson is taking steps to reach out to his right side. Sources said Mr Johnson met with the conservative House Freedom Caucus on Monday night. Greene was removed from her caucus in July 2023.
This article and heading have been updated with additional developments.
CNN’s Manu Raju, Kristen Holmes, Melanie Zanona and Christine Wilson contributed.
