Republican Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.) on Wednesday lambasted Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.)’s effort to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), calling it a “petty political stunt.”
“Some members would rather upend Republicans’ work instead of advancing the conservative agenda. Americans sent us to Washington to govern,” Womack wrote in a post on X.
“The Motion to Vacate attempt was only a headline-grabbing, petty political stunt to distract from our duties and raise money. I’m glad rationality overwhelmingly prevailed, and we can continue the vital work of the American people under @SpeakerJohnson. I like Mike!” he continued.
The remark came moments after the House voted to block a conservative attempt to boot Johnson from the Speakership. The effort was led by Greene, who in a surprise Wednesday, moved to force a vote on her motion to vacate against Johnson.
The lower chamber voted 359-43-7 on a motion to table Greene’s resolution, preventing it from hitting the floor for a vote.
Greene’s effort was backed by only two other Republicans — Reps. Thomas Massie (Ky.) and Paul Gosar (Ariz.). Her move Wednesday came after weeks of holding the threat over Johnson, citing his policy decisions.
The bipartisan vote did not come as a surprise after several Republicans and Democrats indicated they would protect Johnson from losing the Speaker’s gavel. The Georgia Republican was met with boos from members of both sides of the aisle when she announced she was moving forward with the effort Wednesday.
Greene and Johnson met for hours earlier this week, during which she listed a series of demands for the Speaker. These included bringing only bills to the floor that have the support from a majority of the GOP conference, pledging against additional aid for Ukraine, defending special counsels, including Jack Smith, who is probing former President Trump, and establishing a 1-percent spending cut across the board.
Speaking with reporters a day before the vote, Johnson said he was “working through a lot of ideas and suggestions,” but shied away from publicly committing to the requests.
Johnson thanked his colleagues for their support following Wednesday’s vote.
“As I’ve said from the beginning and I’ve made clear every day, I intend to do my job. I intend to do what I believe to be the right thing, which is what I was elected to do, and I’ll let the chips fall where they may,” Johnson said. “In my view, that is leadership.”
