House GOP leadership discusses raising threshold for option to vacate speaker

As a result of a deal cut previously by former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy in January 2023 prior to his appointment, a single House member can bring use a Jeffersonian Motion rule to motion to vacate the position.

According to a new report from Punchbowl News, GOP leadership in the House is discussing the elimination of the rule to make it more difficult for a motion to be brought before the congressional body.

This comes as Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) has announced he will co-sponsor a motion to vacate House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) from the position. The motion was originally brought by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene late in March as an effort to throw a wrench in the $1.2 trillion spending package that will fund the government through Fiscal Year 2024.

According to the report from the outlet, Johnson has not yet decided on whether or not he will nuke the rule. This all comes at a time when Johnson's effort to bring forward foreign aid of $61 billion for Ukraine and $26 billion involved in the Israel-Hamas war have increased.

“This is a critical time right now, a critical time on the world stage. I can make a selfish decision and do something that’s different but I’m doing here what I believe to be the right thing," Johnson said. “I think providing lethal aid to Ukraine right now is critically important. I really do. I really do believe the intel and the briefings that we’ve gotten. I believe Xi, Vladimir Putin and Iran really are an axis of evil. I think they’re in coordination on it."

“To put it bluntly, I would rather send bullets to Ukraine than American boys. My son is going to begin in the Naval Academy this fall. This is a live-fire exercise for me as it is so many American families. This is not a game, this is not a joke," he added.

A vote on the motion brought by MTG has not been sought after yet, however, in coming weeks things may change as packages of foreign aid are debated in the House.