“I can barely wait for it”
Ultra-right insists on vote of no confidence against top Republicans
May 1, 2024, 9:29 p.m
Listen to article
This audio version was artificially generated. More info | Send feedback
The speaker in the US House of Representatives is still threatened with a vote of no confidence from his own party because of the vote on aid to Ukraine. However, the chances of success for an ultra-right party rebel’s cause are slim – the Democrats want to support the top Republican.
The Republican leader of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, is facing a vote of no confidence after his support for a multi-billion dollar Ukraine aid package. Despite slim chances of success, radical Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene announced she wanted to force a vote on Johnson’s removal next week. “I can’t wait to see the Democrats support a Republican leader,” said the ardent supporter of former President Donald Trump.
Greene introduced a corresponding proposal at the end of March, after Johnson had enabled a vote in the House of Representatives on a budget package that Republican hardliners rejected. Greene had initially only done this as a “warning”, but had already announced that he would move forward if Johnson allowed a vote on US aid to Ukraine. This is what happened about a month later: The US Congress approved billions in aid for the country attacked by Russia.
Leading Democrats in the House of Representatives then said on Tuesday that they supported Johnson and would block Greene’s motion if the 49-year-old actually made it. The Republicans only have a razor-thin majority in the chamber. Johnson can therefore not afford more than two opponents in his group in a vote. The Democrats’ help is likely to be a return for Johnson’s support for Ukraine aid, which he had previously blocked for months.
The 52-year-old only took over the office, which comes third in the United States’ ranking after the president and his vice president, around six months ago. The Democrats refused to support his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy. He was ousted from office in a historic vote in early October.