Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on Friday told Speaker Mike Johnson she would oust him if he supported a border deal that doesn’t include conservative policy.
Senate negotiations have been ongoing to include elements of the House GOP’s blockbuster border bill into President Biden’s $110 billion spending package to fund Ukraine’s war against Russia and Israel’s war with Hamas.
Mr. Johnson pledged to support the deal only if it includes former President Donald Trump’s Remain in Mexico policy, a tool conservatives believe would rework the Biden administration’s parole policies.
Ms. Greene, Georgia Republican, contended that if Mr. Johnson, Louisiana Republican, ignores calls from fellow Republicans and moves ahead with the deal without first securing the border, she would move to oust him from the speakership.
“I told him [Friday] in his office that I would vacate the chair, that that is absolutely unacceptable,” Ms. Greene told former top Trump aide Steve Bannon on his “War Room” online show. “And we actually have the power of the purse. We’re the ones that are in control, and we need to control the negotiation.”
Republicans have aggressively pursued including the Secure the Border Act, or its functional equivalent, into the package to stymie the flow of illegal immigrants from south of the U.S.-Mexico border. Some Republicans in the House, like Ms. Greene, have vowed to not fund the government until the border is secured with stringent GOP policies.
Ms. Greene’s stance, along with over three dozen members of the arch-conservative House Freedom Caucus, comes as Congress once again faces a deadline to fund the government Friday.
Mr. Johnson’s right flank was upset that the speaker opted to stick with the $1.66 trillion top-line spending deal he negotiated with Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat, and vowed not to support any legislation that spends at those levels.
“I let Speaker Johnson know that in no way, shape and form will I support any type of [stopgap where] we are continuing Nancy Pelosi’s budget,” Ms. Greene said.
The Senate has teed up a vote on a stopgap bill next week, while Mr. Johnson hasn’t said whether he would support a short-term fix. Previously, he said he would never pass another stopgap bill again.
• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washingtontimes.com.
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