A small group of House Republicans are responsible for ousting former Speaker McCarthy. They launched their coup, claiming McCarthy sided with Democrats on a bill that saved the government from a shutdown.
Weeks of chaos resulted in pro-Trump conservative Mike Johnson becoming the next Speaker.
But these same Republicans expressed anger over Johnson’s deal, another compromise to prevent a shutdown. Rumors swirled over what they might do. But Johnson refused to back down—and now, these hardliners are turning tail and running.
From Fox News:
Republican hardliners are reluctantly accepting defeat in the current fight over short-term government funding……several of those same GOP rebels are backing away from the idea of repeating the move with Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La…
“Those individuals have now overplayed their hand,” Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., said. “I think they’re effectively sidelined because they’ve done it to themselves. They just don’t know when to stop, and it’s more about the fight rather than the result. And that’s just, I think it’s pretty pathetic.”
The eight Republicans who voted to remove Kevin McCarthy are now backing down from doing the same to Mike Johnson. They appear to be changing their tune, saying that Johnson is doing a better job.
But other Republicans are calling out these lawmakers. They are saying this group of eight have “overplayed their hand” when they threw Congress into chaos last year. If they were to try the same tactic against Johnson, in an election year, it could mean disaster for them.
Some have admitted that Speaker Johnson is harder to “leverage” than McCarthy. They have called him an “honest broker” and a “genuine conservative.” That seems to suggest their fight with McCarthy was less about his deal and more about their personal grudges against the California lawmaker.
Speaker Johnson does not appear worried about opposition from this small group of Republicans. He has vowed to continue to hold Joe Biden accountable and block his massive spending agenda. Johnson also is pushing for border security and other conservative measures.
A rule to oust the Speaker by only one member of Congress is what resulted in McCarthy’s undoing. This rule seems to still be in place, though there have been attempts to remove it.
Key Takeaways:
- Republicans who ousted McCarthy over the spending deal are backing down from Speaker Johnson.
- Critics say they have “overplayed their hand” regardless of what they are saying.
- Speaker Johnson landed a deal with Democrats, the same reason these Republicans voted against McCarthy.
Source: Fox News
