- House Speaker Mike Johnson might start cracking down on Republicans who defy him.
- That could include removing lawmakers from their committee assignments.
- MTG, who's forcing a vote to try to oust Johnson this week, doesn't seem to mind.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is daring House Speaker Mike Johnson to kick her off of her committees again.
"Being kicked off committees is nothing new for me," the Georgia Republican wrote in a post on X. "Badge of honor. Don't threaten me with a good time."
Speaker Mike Johnson is talking about kicking Republican members off of committees if we vote against his rules/bills.
This comes after he’s serving Chuck Schumer and Biden’s every single wish and passing major bills with Democrats and not the majority of Republicans!
It’s not…
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) May 6, 2024
Her Monday morning missive may have come in response to reporting from Punchbowl News indicating that Johnson is open to kicking Republicans off of their committees if they vote against certain procedural votes that usually pass on party lines — something that hard-right members of the conference have increasingly done in the last 16 months in order to protest party leadership.
A person familiar with Johnson's remarks told Business Insider that they were hypothetical and referred to changes that House Republicans may make under the next Congress, rather than in the immediate future.
Additionally, Johnson can't remove Greene or any other member — or change the rules of the House — unilaterally and would need to hold a House-wide vote on the matter.
But the Georgia congressman's comments illustrate the degree to which she's returned to her roots as an outside agitator, rather than a sober-minded legislator.
Greene was barred from serving on committees by House Democrats at the beginning of her first term, owing to her past espousal of violent rhetoric and conspiracy theories, only for Republicans to place her on committees when they took over.
Greene is poised to force a vote on ousting Johnson this week — though it's almost certain to fail, given House Democratic leaders' vow to protect him from Greene's effort.
Just two other Republicans — Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Paul Gosar of Arizona — have signed onto Greene's motion to vacate. Most other Republicans have argued that whatever their concerns are with Johnson's leadership, now is not the time to plunge the House back into chaos.