Washington — House Republicans released a new rules package on Wednesday that will raise the threshold to force a vote on ousting the speaker.
The threshold that allowed a single member to trigger a no-confidence vote to remove the speaker will be increased to nine members of the majority party in the 119th Congress.
The House is expected to vote Friday to adopt the rules package after members elect a speaker and are sworn in.
Leaders of the House Freedom Caucus and the Main Street Caucus, two influential Republican factions, announced the threshold agreement in November as they sought to project a unified front after winning control of the White House and both chambers of Congress.
Infighting has made it difficult for Republicans, who have a razor-thin majority, to govern over the last two years. Republicans will have a similar margin in the new Congress.
In order to win the gavel in January 2023, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California made concessions to conservatives, including allowing a single member to trigger a no-confidence vote to oust the speaker.
Nine months later, the deal led to McCarthy’s downfall after he relied on the votes of House Democrats to temporarily avert a government shutdown. It was the first time in U.S. history a House speaker was ousted by such a motion.
House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana has faced similar issues as McCarthy and has had to rely on Democratic votes to pass legislation, angering conservatives who have threatened to remove him. Though Republicans in November backed him for another term leading the party, it’s unclear whether he’ll have the necessary votes on Friday. No serious challenger to Johnson has emerged, however.
“There’s no other alternative for Speaker of the House, guys. There’s not another name circulated, there’s no other candidate proposed, because everyone knows that I’m the only one who can get the votes,” Johnson said in recent interview with a Louisiana radio station.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/house-rules-package-motion-to-vacate-speaker/
