MTG Is Doing MTG Things
House Republicans are dangerously close to losing their majority even before the 2024 election. However, the purveyors of political entertainment to the Republican base are going all in for the show.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is upset. Well, she says she’s upset. On March 6, Greene blasted the first minibus spending bill that passed the House. A few days later, she put out a press release humbly bragging about seven “community projects” that she “secure[d]” in the very same bill that she blasted and voted against. For the uninitiated, “community projects” are the new Hill jargon for earmarks.
Anyway, Greene is upset that Speaker Mike Johnson had to compromise with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and President Joe Biden to get a funding deal passed for the second minibus, H.R. 2882. During the vote for the bill on Friday, Greene filed a motion to vacate the chair, which could put the House in the position of finding yet another Speaker of the House. Apparently, Johnson isn’t conservative enough.
Greene hasn’t made the motion privileged yet, but she can at any moment when the House is in session. That would start a clock that would force a vote within two legislative days. The good news is that the House is in recess for Easter and won’t come back until Tuesday, April 9. The bad news is that Greene says she has support from some of her colleagues.
This could put Johnson in the situation of seeking Democratic support. Of course, there will be a price for that support. At least some Democrats would vote against Greene’s resolution if Johnson puts the Senate-passed national security bill on the floor, which includes money for Ukraine and Israel. Greene, however, is likely to be sent into even more of a rage if Johnson puts the national security bill on the floor. Listen, Greene is so in the back pocket of Putin that she voted against a resolution to condemn the abduction of Ukrainian kids to Russia.
There are far too many Members of Congress who get elected to make a name for themselves, build up their brand, and cash in on it by providing political entertainment to the base. Greene is one of the worst offenders. It’s sad to see so many conservatives continue to fall for it. At some point, Republicans have to, you know, govern. In a divided government, that means compromises have to be made. You don’t have to like it. Legislative temper tantrums, though, probably aren’t the best way to win over independent voters.
