Are Speaker Johnson’s Days Numbered? Rep. MTG Thinks So

Speaker Johnson has been in hot water recently as a spending deal was struck with Democrats that would keep the government open and provide funding to foreign aid and other areas.

Congressional Republicans are upset at the bill and the amount of money going towards Ukraine.

See what is included here:

• $65.5B to Ukraine
• $14.4B to Israel
• $5.318B Emergency Funding to CBP
• 2.352B Emergency Funding to ICE
• 755M for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration

Breaking News: The Senate's minibus includes $65.5 billion dollars to Ukraine. More than was originally asked for at $61 billion and $755 million dollars to help illegals find a path to citizenship. pic.twitter.com/0DHkklmw3A

— Wendy Patterson (@wendyp4545) January 9, 2024

The Hill has more on Speaker Johnson’s Defense of the spending bill:

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is fighting to defend the spending deal he struck with Democrats this week against attacks from the right flank, acknowledging that it’s not the conservative ideal but saying it represents “the best” Republicans can muster.

“This is not what we all want, it’s not the best deal that we could get if we were in charge of both chambers and the White House. But it’s the best deal that we could broker under the circumstances,” Johnson told reporters Tuesday in the Capitol after a closed-door meeting of Republican leaders in the Speaker’s office.

Since the agreement was announced, Johnson has come under intense criticism from conservatives in his own conference, who are hammering the deal for not cutting government spending sharply enough while excluding new border security measures.

The internal reproval has highlighted the dilemma facing Johnson, who is fighting to keep the government open — an effort that will require compromise with Democrats — without sparking a revolt from his restive right flank, which ousted his predecessor, former Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), for his willingness to compromise with Democrats on spending bills.

Returning to Washington on Tuesday after the long holiday break, Johnson said his hands were tied by an earlier budget deal endorsed by McCarthy, who resigned from Congress last month after being booted from the Speakership

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene expressed frustration during Steve Bannon’s “War Room.”

During the discussion, Rep. MTG said, “Every day Mike Johnson gets closer and closer to this deal brings me closer and closer to vacating the chair because I have absolutely had it.”

Watch the explosive dialogue here:

BREAKING – EXPLOSIVE: Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (@RepMTG) lambasts @SpeakerJohnson, says he’s failing on the job, failing Republicans, has had enough with him, and may need to be fired. She spoke in a heated podcast with Steve Bannon.

“Every day Mike Johnson gets… pic.twitter.com/G3giZbI2MW

— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) January 11, 2024

Not all hope is lost, however.

Republicans have begun meeting with Speaker Johnson on drafting a new spending bill.

The Hill covers more here:

Members of the House Freedom Caucus and their ideological allies huddled in Johnson’s office a day after a group of conservatives tanked a procedural vote in a revolt against the spending deal that Johnson and Democratic leaders announced Sunday — preventing the chamber from moving forward on three unrelated measures.

“There’s going to be a new deal drawn up and that’s what we’re in the process of doing,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said after leaving the meeting.

But Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), a former chair of the Freedom Caucus, said Johnson has not committed to anything yet.

“We’re still working,” Perry said.

The agreement announced over the weekend — which is largely in line with the caps set in the debt limit deal then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) struck with President Biden last year — includes a $1.59 trillion top line, plus roughly $69 billion in budget tweaks to increase nondefense dollars for most of fiscal 2024. It also includes an additional $10 billion in cuts to IRS mandatory funding and a $6.1 billion clawback of unspent COVID-19 funds.

This is a hard call.

I hope Speaker Johnson can adapt better to fit the desires of Republicans.

Getting Republicans together to vote for another Speaker should be avoided.