House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is brushing off calls for him to step down from the position.
On Tuesday, a reporter asked Johnson about calls for him to resign as speaker or face a vote on the motion to vacate as he has announced plans to hold a vote on aid packages for Ukraine and Israel.
“I am not resigning and it is in my view an absurd notion that someone would bring a vacate motion when we are simply here trying to do our jobs,” the Louisiana Republican responded.
He insisted such calls are “not helpful to the cause” or the country.
Watch the video below:
.@SpeakerJohnson on calls for his resignation and possible motion to vacate the chair: "I am not resigning and it is in my view an absurd notion that someone would bring a vacate motion when we are simply here trying to do our jobs." pic.twitter.com/R0fR3re7JQ
— CSPAN (@cspan) April 16, 2024
He stated he knew the job would be hard before he accepted the nomination to become speaker as he said he seems himself as a “war-time speaker” with a very narrow majority.
“A single vote majority at a difficult time when the nation is terribly divided. The way we get through that is we show unity and we explain how we have answers to all these great challenges. We have those answers, we shouldn’t get in the way of ourselves,” Johnson added. “I’m going to tell you, that I am not concerned about this, I am going to do my job.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) posted on X, “I just told Mike Johnson in conference that I’m cosponsoring the Motion to Vacate that was introduced by [Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.)].”
“He should pre-announce his resignation (as Boehner did), so we can pick a new Speaker without ever being without a GOP Speaker,” he added.
Massie is the first Republican to publicly support Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga. motion to vacate. However, it was not clear when vote on the motion to oust Johnson might take place.
His support comes after Johnson announced his plan to hold separate vote on aid packages for Ukraine and Israel.
“There are precipitating events around the globe that we’re all watching very carefully,” he told reporters, adding, “And we know that the world is watching us to see how we react.”
Greene filed a motion to vacate the chair last month after the House passed a government funding bill, but she did not push for a vote on in.
Speaking to CNN, she said, “I’m not saying I have a red line or a trigger, and I’m not saying I don’t have a red line or trigger.”
However, she added, “But I’m going to tell you right now: funding Ukraine is probably one of the most egregious things that he can do.”
