Georgia's GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green filed a motion to oust Mike Johnson as speaker on Friday, according to sources familiar with the matter, amid furor over the government funding bill from the right wing of House Republicans.
The House must consider Green's motion within two legislative days of his approval. The chamber is going into a two-week recess, and Green told reporters he would not call for a resolution Friday, meaning the clock to force a vote has not yet started.
Green's move is the most serious challenge to the Louisiana Republican Party leadership to date, and is a sign of a growing insurgency from the right.
The move is a significant widening of intra-party divisions that have grown increasingly contentious since Johnson took over as speaker last year following the historic ouster of Kevin McCarthy. Green's move is the first official step toward restarting that process, a chaotic one that created a leadership vacuum and halted all House floor activity for weeks.
Johnson controls one of the narrowest margins in House history and has had to rely on Democratic votes to advance some key legislation — including Friday's government funding package — leading to bills that reflect a bipartisan compromise that conservative hardliners reject as too liberal.
“I filed a motion to vacate today, but it's a warning and a pink slip,” Green told reporters after filing the motion. “I respect our conference. I paid my full fee for my conference. I am a member in good standing and I do not want to cause pain in our conference and confuse the House.
GOP lawmakers who spoke with Green told CNN that his plan is to use the two-week gap when the House is not in session to figure out when to vacate the motion.
Asked for reaction by CNN, Johnson did not respond, dismissing the question with a wave.
After Green filed the petition, he was rallied by his Republican colleagues. A source close to the conversations told CNN that several fellow GOP lawmakers are trying to convince the Georgia Republican not to bring up the motion. The two lawmakers there were GOP representatives. Barry Loudermilk and Kate Cammock observed in a lengthy conversation with Greene.
Part of the argument for Green from his Republican colleagues is that if he does, it could lead to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries inadvertently becoming speaker, a source who saw the conversations told CNN.
This story and headline have been updated.
