--- title: Marjorie Taylor Greene Files Motion to Oust Mike Johnson description: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene filed a motion to vacate Friday in an attempt to boot Speaker Mike Johnson from his position. canonical: https://time.com/6959754/marjorie-taylor-greene-motion-to-vacate-mike-johnson/ author: Nik Popli article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2024-03-22T16:46:06.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:50:32.151Z article:section: Politics og:title: Marjorie Taylor Greene Files Surprise Motion to Oust Speaker Mike Johnson og:description: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene filed a motion to vacate in an attempt to boot House Speaker Mike Johnson from his position. og:url: https://time.com/6959754/marjorie-taylor-greene-motion-to-vacate-mike-johnson/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltac579d4415654bc5/698a5510cabb1d7b3be53f2a/GettyImages-2067030935.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: President Biden Delivers State Of The Union Address og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Marjorie Taylor Greene Files Surprise Motion to Oust Speaker Mike Johnson twitter:description: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene filed a motion to vacate in an attempt to boot House Speaker Mike Johnson from his position. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltac579d4415654bc5/698a5510cabb1d7b3be53f2a/GettyImages-2067030935.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Marjorie Taylor Greene Files Surprise Motion to Oust Speaker Mike Johnson > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. 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It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=9cfa4cee-b6c2-49e2-a3dc-4c82891e52ab&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Marjorie Taylor Greene Files Surprise Motion to Oust Speaker Mike Johnson [Watch (HLS stream): Marjorie Taylor Greene Files Surprise Motion to Oust Speaker Mike Johnson](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/ohMJlVQY.m3u8) (3:26)  _Published 2024-03-22. Five months after being elected as House Speaker, Mike Johnson may have to fight to keep his position after Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene initiated a motion to oust him over his support of a bipartisan spending deal._  by [Nik Popli](https://time.com/author/nik-popli/)  ## Nik Popli Staff Writer Mar 22, 2024 4:46 PM UTC  (L-R) U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC), Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA), Rep. Diana Harshbarger (R-TN) and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) talk prior to President Joe Biden's State of the Union address during a joint meeting of Congress in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol on March 07, 2024 in Washington, DC. (L-R) U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC), Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA), Rep. Diana Harshbarger (R-TN) and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) talk prior to President Joe Biden's State of the Union address during a joint meeting of Congress in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol on March 07, 2024 in Washington, DC. Win McNamee—Getty Images  by [Nik Popli](https://time.com/author/nik-popli/)  ## Nik Popli Staff Writer Mar 22, 2024 4:46 PM UTC Five months after being elected as House Speaker, Mike Johnson may have to fight to keep his position after [Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene](https://time.com/6898840/president-biden-marjorie-taylor-greene-interrupts-speech-video/) initiated a motion to oust him over his support of a bipartisan spending deal. “We need a new Speaker,” Greene told reporters outside the Capitol on Friday after the House passed a $1.2 trillion government funding deal with mostly Democratic votes. "I filed the motion to vacate today, but it's more of a warning and a pink slip.” Greene's challenge signals a deepening divide within the Republican party as Johnson grapples with navigating competing interests and maintaining party unity in the face of critical legislative negotiations. The spending deal that Johnson endorsed has further exacerbated tensions within Republican ranks, as some members of his far-right flank have argued that the bill does not do enough to address border security. The emerging dynamic is reminiscent of the tumultuous ousting of Johnson’s predecessor, Kevin McCarthy, from the same position under similar circumstances last year. “I do not wish to inflict pain on our conference and to throw the House into chaos,” Greene of Georgia told reporters. The fate of Greene's motion remains uncertain as House rules require a majority vote to remove the Speaker. [McCarthy’s ouster](https://time.com/6320197/in-dramatic-vote-mccarthy-becomes-first-house-speaker-to-be-ousted-in-u-s-history/) in October 2023 saw eight Republicans joining forces with all Democrats to remove him from the speakership, but it’s unclear if Greene’s motion will be able to garner similar support. There’s also no timeline yet for when a potential vote might take place; since Greene did not file her resolution as privileged, Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, would be able to postpone any vote on it until after the House’s two-week recess. “Speaker Johnson always listens to the concerns of members, but is focused on governing,” Johnson’s spokesperson said in a statement Friday. “He will continue to push conservative legislation that secures our border, strengthens our national defense and demonstrates how we’ll grow our majority.” Rep. Matt Gaetz, the Florida Republican who led the vote to oust McCarthy as Speaker, told reporters on Friday that he does not support a motion aimed at removing Johnson from his position. “If we vacated this speaker, we’d end up with a Democrat,” Gaetz said, adding that he believes some Republicans would vote for [House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries](https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people-2023/6269849/hakeem-jeffries/). “When I vacated the last one, I made a promise to the country that we would not end up with the Democrat speaker. And I was right. I couldn’t make that promise again.” Rep. Tim Burchett, a Tennessee Republican andone of the eight who voted to oust McCarthy, said Friday that he also would not support a motion to remove Johnson. “No, he’s not lied to me,” he said. ## Transcript Why did you file a motion to vacate after speaker Johnson has betrayed our conference in broken our roles? We were promised promised regular order. That's what our conference had started out as with rules and Promises to the American people that we would bring regular order back to Congress speaker. Johnson has betrayed that bypassing 3C ours and then forcing us to pass to vote on a two-part on the bus the second one being today. This is a betrayal of the American people. This is a betrayal of Republican voters and and the bill that we were forced to vote on Force Republicans to choose between funding to pay our soldiers and in doing so funding late-term abortion. This bill was basically a dream and a and a wish list for Democrats in for the White House was completely led by Chuck Schumer, not our Republican speaker of the house not Our conference and we weren't even allowed to put amendments to the floor to have a chance to make changes to the bill. I filed a motion to vacate today, but it's more of a warning and a pink slip. I respect your conference. I paid all my dues to my conference. I'm a member in good standing and I do not wish to inflict pain on our conference and a throw. Throw the house in chaos, but this is basically a warning and it's time for us to go through through the process take our time and find a new speaker of the house that will stand with Republicans in our Republican majority instead of standing with the difference between the Ford but I'm not saying that it won't happen in 2 weeks or it won't happen in a month or two there. Who knows when but I am saying the clock has started it's time for a conference to choose a new species the American people. Are focused on the issues impacting I'm affordability to the Border crisis created by Joe Biden to the failed disastrous foreign policy of this Administration and this is her on our side, but we have to show that we can govern and that we can work as a used to doing things like this obviously make a awesome and create unnecessary distraction. I think it's not only idiotic but it actually do not do anything to advance the conservative and in fact, it undermines our country and our Magyar and I think everyone should be focused on the task at hand Republican party now thrives on Instagram motion for vacate pics potions division. It's a substitute for a governess. So it doesn't surprise me that they're back it. Doing what they do best wishes cannibalism, but I hoped somehow through this process. We will get Aid to the people of Ukraine our allies in Ukraine who are under the gun with Vladimir Putin's filthy imperialist Invasion. I hope we will get a to the suffering people of Gaza is quickly as possible for republicans in the upcoming election. The American people understand that the Republicans have been a party of chaos Insurrection and betrayal of democracy and freedom and they've done in the fraud and they chanted at home. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/6959754/marjorie-taylor-greene-motion-to-vacate-mike-johnson/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/6959754/marjorie-taylor-greene-motion-to-vacate-mike-johnson/"},"headline":"Marjorie Taylor Greene Files Surprise Motion to Oust Speaker Mike Johnson","datePublished":"2024-03-22T16:46:06.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:50:32.151Z","description":"Rep. 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