Thomas Massie to join MTG in motion to vacate Mike Johnson as Speaker over border security, Ukraine funding

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) said on Tuesday that he will back a motion brought by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) motion to vacate House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA).

The announcement comes after Johnson said that a foreign aid bill for will not include provisions for border security.

"I just told Mike Johnson in conference that I’m cosponsoring the Motion to Vacate that was introduced by MTG," Massie wrote. "He should pre-announce his resignation (as Boehner did), so we can pick a new Speaker without ever being without a GOP Speaker." 

On Friday, Johnson stood with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago and announced a plan to propose a bill requiring voters to prove they are US citizens prior to casting ballots in federal elections. This was largely seen as Trump backing Johnson's speakership.

Trump said Johnson "is doing a really good job under very tough circumstances." 

MTG filed the motion to vacate the House Speaker position in March in response over the $1.2 trillion package to continue funding the government.  

Massie is the first Republican aside from Greene to back the motion to vacate Johnson from the position. Earlier in the fall, a similar move was made by Rep. Matt Gaetz in order to oust Rep. Kevin McCarthy from the leadership position. That, too, was over foreign funding taking precedence over border security measures.

McCarthy, for his part, does not think the step "will ever happen," according to a report from The Hill.