House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) faces a potential lifeline from an unlikely source as he grapples with growing discontent among conservative Republicans over his support for the controversial foreign funding bills strategically passed despite his promises to voters and lawmakers alike that he would not follow in his failed predecessor’s footsteps with foreign funding for other nations’ borders while ignoring the tragedies inflicting on Americans by our own ongoing border crisis.
Several prominent Democrats have suggested they would oppose any motion to oust Johnson from his leadership position.
In an interview with ABC News, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) expressed her support for Johnson, praising his decision to side with the left in passing the multibillion-dollar aid package despite criticism from his own party. “I would actually vote to table any motion to vacate him,” Khanna stated. “You know, Congressman McCaul quoted Churchill. One of the things Churchill said is that America always exhausted every wrong option until doing the right thing. And this shows that American democracy still is very strong.”
The legislation, which passed with the support of all 210 Democrats on April 20, 2024, failed to provide assistance for securing the southern border, a point of contention for many Republicans. Johnson faced heavy criticism from his colleagues who accused him of working with the Democratic Party and neglecting the concerns of Americans.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), a member of the House Freedom Caucus, claimed that Johnson betrayed the U.S. and doubled down on her efforts to remove him from the speakership. Greene accused the House speaker of not caring about “our border, our jobs, our economy, or our national security.”
Last night, as most Americans were sleeping, we officially lost control of the House when Democrats on the Rules committee crossed the Rubicon to help Mike Johnson pass billions of $’s to fund foreign wars.
I’m thankful to @RepThomasMassie & @RepGosar for cosponsoring my Motion… pic.twitter.com/ReJ9Pkvw9K
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) April 19, 2024
Khanna believes that her fellow Democrats would side with her in protecting Johnson’s job, a sentiment echoed by other Democrats in the chamber who suggested they would consider helping Johnson retain the speakership if he advanced the Ukraine aid bill.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) had a very different take than the Democratic congresswoman, suggesting that Johnson “should pre-announce his resignation” and allow Republicans to select a successor, reflecting the growing discontent among conservative members of the party.
