Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) is quietly assessing whether she has enough support within the Republican conference to initiate a late-stage challenge to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), according to multiple sources familiar with internal discussions.
The reported maneuver would involve filing a motion to vacate the chair, a dramatic parliamentary tool that can force a vote to remove the sitting speaker. While no formal motion has been filed, sources say Greene has been privately approaching colleagues to gauge whether she can meet the threshold required to trigger such a vote under current House rules.
The effort, if it materializes, would come at a sensitive moment for House Republicans as leadership faces pressure from the party’s right flank to move more aggressively on codifying President Trump’s policy agenda.
How the motion-to-vacate rules work now
After the turbulent removal of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy in 2023 — which led to weeks of legislative paralysis — House Republicans changed their rules to make it harder to remove a speaker.
Under the revised rules:
– At least nine Republican members must support a motion to vacate
– A single lawmaker can no longer force a vote alone
– The rule is designed to prevent repeated leadership instability
According to sources who spoke to MS NOW on condition of anonymity, Greene is currently testing whether that nine-member threshold is realistically attainable.
“Marjorie is approaching members to get to nine who will oust the speaker,” one source reportedly said, adding that frustration within the conference is growing over the pace of legislative action.
What’s driving the unrest
At the core of the reported dissatisfaction is a belief among some conservatives that House leadership has not moved quickly enough to translate Trump’s priorities into binding law.
Critics within the GOP conference argue that:
– Campaign promises must be codified before political momentum fades
– Incremental or cautious leadership risks losing leverage
– Voters expect visible legislative results, not procedural delays
The comment attributed to one source — “If we don’t get to work on codifying Trump’s agenda, anything can happen” — reflects the underlying tension between institutional stability and ideological urgency.
Supporters of Speaker Johnson counter that:
– Governing with a narrow majority requires strategic discipline
– Avoiding repeated leadership crises is essential to passing legislation
– Internal party warfare weakens negotiating power
Why Greene’s timing matters
The report notes that Greene’s consideration of a motion to vacate comes as her time in office “winds down,” a factor that adds complexity to the situation.
Political analysts note that late-term maneuvers can be driven by several motivations:
– Applying pressure rather than expecting success
– Forcing leadership to accelerate policy commitments
– Signaling dissatisfaction to voters and allies
– Shaping the party’s internal direction
At this stage, there is no indication that Greene has formally committed to filing a motion, nor that the necessary nine votes have been secured.
Speaker Johnson’s position
Speaker Johnson has not publicly responded to the reports. Since taking the gavel, he has emphasized unity, message discipline, and avoiding the chaos that followed McCarthy’s removal.
Johnson’s allies argue that:
– Leadership instability would undermine conservative goals
– The conference must remain focused on legislation, not infighting
– Procedural brinkmanship carries real political costs
Still, the mere discussion of a motion to vacate underscores how fragile leadership dynamics remain in a narrowly divided House.
Broader implications for House Republicans
Even without a formal motion, the episode highlights unresolved fault lines within the Republican conference:
– Institutional conservatives vs. populist reformers
– Incremental strategy vs. confrontational tactics
– Stability vs. ideological enforcement
The 2023 speaker crisis demonstrated how a small group of lawmakers can exert outsized influence. The revised rules were meant to prevent a repeat, but persistent dissatisfaction suggests that tensions have not disappeared — only been managed.
What happens next
Key questions now facing House Republicans include:
– Whether Greene can actually assemble nine supporters
– Whether leadership responds with concessions or accelerated action
– How Trump allies view the reported maneuver
– Whether internal negotiations defuse the situation quietly
Until a motion is formally filed, the episode remains a reported internal power struggle, not an active leadership contest.
Conclusion
Reports that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is gauging support for a potential motion to vacate Speaker Mike Johnson underscore the ongoing tension within House Republican ranks over strategy, pace, and priorities. While new rules make removing a speaker more difficult, dissatisfaction over the implementation of Trump’s agenda continues to simmer.
Whether this effort becomes a real challenge or remains a pressure tactic, it serves as a reminder that leadership stability in the House remains conditional — and closely tied to the conference’s ability to deliver tangible results.