Topline
Newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) was greeted with resumed partisan feuds on his first day on the job, as House members lifted the three-week legislative freeze by introducing resolutions to punish their colleagues—underscoring the difficulties Johnson faces after he was abruptly elevated Wednesday to what’s known as the “worst job in Washington.”
Newly elected Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., prepares to make a statement in the U.S. … [+]
Key Facts
Far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) filed a resolution to censure progressive Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), accusing her of “antisemitic activity, sympathy with terrorist organizations and leading an insurrection at the United States Capitol Complex,” Greene said Thursday on the House floor.
Greene’s proposal—a “privileged” motion requiring it to go to the House floor for a vote by next week—was in response to Tlaib’s appearance at an October 18 pro-Palestinian rally at the Capitol, where demonstrators called for the U.S. government to endorse a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war and more than 300 were arrested for protesting inside the Cannon House Office Building.
Tlaib, the only Palestinian-American member of Congress, has also called for a ceasefire and spoke outside of the rally, which was organized by progressive Jewish groups Jewish Voice for Peace and IfNotNow.
Hours after Greene introduced her resolution against Tlaib, Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.) re-introduced a measure she brought in July to censure Greene, citing more than three dozen incendiary comments from Greene dating back to 2018, including her display of sexually explicit images of Hunter Biden in a House hearing in July and her use of the term “Jihad Squad” in 2021 to refer to Muslim American members of Congress.
Separately, New York Republican Reps. Nick LaLota and Anthony D’Esposito introduced a resolution to expel indicted Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) from Congress—a move that could dent Republicans’ slim majority in the House if he’s ousted and a Democrat is elected to replace him, a probable scenario after Santos flipped his Long Island district in the 2022 midterm election.
As speaker, it’s up to Johnson to bring legislation to the floor—he has not indicated when the House will take up Greene’s resolution and told reporters on Wednesday, “I’m not gonna talk about all that” when asked if he supports expelling Santos.
Chief Critic
Tlaib called Greene’s resolution “deeply Islamophobic” and said it “attacks peaceful Jewish anti-war advocates” in a statement that reiterated her calls for a ceasefire.
Key Background
Johnson was elected House speaker Wednesday, ending a three-week impasse in the House after Republicans’ three previous speaker nominees failed to build enough support to win. Johnson, who has been quietly campaigning for the job since Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was removed in a far-right mutiny on October 3, was nominated for the position late Tuesday after the GOP’s previous nominee, Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), dropped out of the race hours after he was nominated. Johnson has a relatively low-profile compared to the other three nominees: Emmer, the House Majority Whip, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (La.) and far-right firebrand Rep. Jim Jordan (Ohio). Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle said they were unfamiliar with him, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who said he had never met Johnson in person. Johnson’s relative anonymity and shorter career in Congress was seen as a boon for his speakership, as he’s had fewer opportunities to make enemies, and his alliance with former President Donald Trump could fly under the radar with voters in swing districts whose representatives voted for Johnson as speaker.
Tangent
Johnson met with President Joe Biden, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on his first day as speaker Thursday. He also laid out a calendar to vote on individual appropriations bills for various agencies ahead of the November 17 deadline to avert a government shutdown and suggested the House could pass another short-term stopgap measure if it can’t come to an agreement on a new full-year spending plan.
Further Reading
How Mike Johnson’s Relative Anonymity Helped Him Win The House Speaker Race (Forbes)
Who Is Mike Johnson? What To Know About The Newly Elected GOP House Speaker—And Trump Ally. (Forbes)
Mike Johnson Wins House Speaker Election—Ending Historic Three-Week GOP Impasse (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2023/10/26/johnsons-first-day-as-speaker-proposals-to-censure-rashida-tlaib-marjorie-taylor-greene-and-expel-george-santos/