House Republicans Consider Changing Rules to aid Speaker

House Republican leaders are discussing the possibility of adding language to a $95 billion foreign aid package debate that would increase the threshold required to remove the Speaker of the House, according to Punchbowl News.

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., announced on Tuesday that he is co-sponsoring a motion by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., to vacate the chair and remove Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., from his position. Greene has not yet sought a vote on this matter.

Currently, House rules allow any member to initiate a vote to remove Johnson. With the GOP’s 218-213 majority, only a few Republicans would need to join Democrats in order to vacate the speakership.

To prevent further turmoil in the chamber, House Republican leadership is considering including language in the rule for debating the foreign aid legislation that would raise the threshold required to file motions to vacate, as reported by Punchbowl News on Thursday.

Punchbowl News noted that Johnson has not yet made a decision on pursuing this change.

While a change in the rules could help secure his position, Johnson would likely face backlash from conservatives if he agrees to it.

Despite facing the risk of losing his job, Johnson pressed forward on Wednesday towards a vote later in the week on a funding package for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan.

During a recent meeting in the speaker’s office, Johnson was warned that he can’t have “FISA, Ukraine, and the speakership” all at once, according to Punchbowl News.

House GOP leaders are looking to pass legislation that includes foreign aid, border security, and other measures, such as a revised TikTok ban. However, the House Rules Committee’s hearing to pass the bills stalled on Wednesday night.

The panel is set to reconvene on Thursday at 10 a.m.

The House Freedom Caucus and other conservatives are opposed to any foreign aid package until the Biden administration makes changes to its border security policy.

Under former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, only party leaders could file a motion to vacate. Speaker Kevin McCarthy later lowered the requirement to one member, a decision that ultimately led to his removal after Rep. Matt Gaetz filed a motion to vacate.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.