Speaker Mike Johnson will keep his job after the House voted to kill a motion to oust him Wednesday evening after a dramatic showdown that took less than an hour.
GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene introduced the motion to vacate after threatening to move forward with trying to remove Johnson for several weeks, although the timing took lawmakers by surprise.
Remember: A motion to vacate is a resolution to remove the speaker by declaring the speakership to be vacant. It was a rarely used procedural until former Speaker Kevin McCarthy's removal in October.
Here's how it unfolded:
- Fast timeline: Greene introduced the motion at around 5:15 p.m. ET. And even though House leadership had two days to respond to Greene's motion, lawmakers voted to table it right away.
- A surprise: House Republicans were caught off guard by Greene's decision to trigger her motion to vacate, multiple Republican sources told CNN. House GOP leadership thought that after the two productive meetings between Johnson and Greene on Monday and Tuesday there was at least more time before any next steps were taken, the sources added.
- GOP disapproval: When she introduced the motion, lawmakers on both sides booed Greene. Some Republicans have been critical of having another speakership fight, arguing that it distracts from other legislative priorities and is dividing the Republican Party.
- Democratic help: In the wake of Johnson’s push to pass a major foreign aid package over the objections of hardline conservatives, House Democratic leadership had announced that Democrats would help Johnson keep his job. Ultimately, 163 Democrats voted to kill the motion to vacate, which happened shortly before 6 p.m. ET. Only 10 Republicans joined in supporting Greene's motion.
- What Johnson said: The speaker tried to look forward after the vote although he slammed the move as a distraction and "frivolous character assassination." He said that the "speaker of the House serves the whole House” and that it is his priority to keep the Republican House majority and continue to try to advance the party's agenda.