Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) paid a price for backing off her threat to call for a vote to remove Speaker Mike Johnson.
In a nearly two-hour meeting called by Greene yesterday to explore potential on-ramps, MAGA firebrand and Coalition Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) outlined some of the policy demands they are pursuing before canceling the plan.
According to people familiar with the talks, these include:
- There will be no additional support for Ukraine.
- Back to the “Hastert Rules”:” This means that no bill will come up for a vote without the support of a majority in the House.
- Cut in funding for special prosecutor investigation To former President Donald Trump in the upcoming budget session; and
- Implementation of ‘Mesh Rule’ If a replacement agreement is not reached before the set deadline, government funding will be automatically cut across the board.
They will meet again at 12.30pm today in a bid to find a way to ease tensions. Spokespeople for Greene and Johnson declined to comment on their discussions, but the speakers struck a conciliatory note after yesterday’s meeting, expressing sympathy for Greene and pledging to “keep this team together.”
But make no mistake. In an election year, pressure for Republican unity is weighing on Greene. Greene is battling angry Republican colleagues and skepticism from Trump, the party’s undisputed leader.
Johnson may be in a position to grant at least some of Greene’s requests. Now that this parliament has effectively passed a number of controversial must-have items, including funding the government, raising the debt ceiling and expanding surveillance powers, Johnson will probably be ready to adopt the Hastert Rule (named after former Speaker and now disgraced Dennis Hastert). (named after).
Democrats agreed to a version of the Massie Rule during spending talks with Speaker Kevin McCarthy last year. So Johnson could go there too.
In Ukraine’s case, Congress sent $60 billion in aid to Kiev. That’s enough to last the rest of the year, according to most estimates. But Greene may also want to authorize the expected nine-figure aid in the annual Defense Department policy bill, which is expected to move later this year.
But funding Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into Trump could be much trickier. In the past, front-line Republican lawmakers, as well as Democrats, have been reluctant to make such demands. If the Greens expect Johnson to fight the much-anticipated continuation resolution in September, it would be a recipe for shutting down the federal government just weeks before the election.
The two sides have yet to reach an agreement, and it may never happen. But it’s clear that temperatures are dropping. In the end, the handshake solution benefits both parties. It would allow Johnson to avoid a risky vote that relies on Democratic generosity to save his gavel.
And in Greene’s case, her relationship with Trump and his associates is said to be in jeopardy. Last night, a person close to him said the former president “could not have been clearer” in signaling he was no longer interested in intra-party drama this election season.
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