Freedom Caucus member Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) on Tuesday refused to rule out an explosive no-confidence vote against House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA).
Conservatives are livid over a possible deal on a federal government spending framework that became public over the weekend. Roy and his allies also expressed strong concerns over a pending deal with the Biden White House on border security.
A “motion to vacate” would force Johnson to face the same ordeal that led to the ouster of his predecessor, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) last year.
House Freedom Caucus Members Weigh Motion to Vacate House Speaker Mike Johnson Over Spending Bill via @gatewaypundit https://t.co/wUoTcGOUT8
— The Gateway Pundit (@gatewaypundit) January 10, 2024
Roy told BlazeTV that he is “leaving it all on the table. I’m not gonna say I’m gonna file it tomorrow night. I’m not saying I’m not gonna file it tomorrow. I think the Speaker needs to know that we’re angry about it.”
A compromise leading to McCarthy’s rise to the Speaker’s gavel meant a single House member may implement the motion to vacate process.
With the razor-thin majority Republicans currently hold in the lower chamber, it would only take a handful of legislators to push Johnson overboard assuming all Democrats are in agreement. This was exactly what transpired in 2023 with McCarthy’s removal.
Johnson joined Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) on Sunday to announce a tentative budget agreement.
The deal would establish an almost $1.66 trillion spending level for Washington in 2024. The result was similar to a compromise reached last year that involved McCarthy and helped lead to his demise.
Johnson wrote a letter to congressional colleagues touting $16 billion in spending that would be slashed under the agreement. He said it “represents the most favorable budget agreement Republicans have achieved in over a decade.”
For some of the party faithful, that was not nearly enough.
The House Freedom Caucus slammed the deal as a “total failure.” Roy, the group’s policy chair, indicated he will consider filing a motion to vacate over the new budget.
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) confirmed Tuesday that discussions are ongoing about another revolt. He told the media that “a lot of people were talking about it.”
And yet another conservative, Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN), told Newsweek that several of her fellow lawmakers are strongly considering making a change.
