Marjorie Taylor Greene Admits Republicans Are 'So Desperate'

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, admitted Sunday that her party is "desperate" while discussing the future of House Speaker Mike Johnson.

Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, was elected speaker of the House in late October following the ousting of Kevin McCarthy. A California Republican and longtime congressional veteran, McCarthy became the first speaker in U.S. history to be removed from the role during a legislative session, after GOP Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida filed a motion to remove him after he worked with Democrats to pass a temporary resolution to keep the government funded and avert a shutdown.

A relatively obscure name in the House GOP prior to becoming speaker, Johnson only ascended to the role after notable Republicans like Representatives Jim Jordan of Ohio and Steve Scalise of Louisiana failed to garner enough support from the bitterly divided Republican caucus. Though he has managed to retain the office for a few months, his handling of the job so far has led to increasing criticisms from within the Republican Party and, according to a Sunday report from Politico, whispers "about whether he can hang on to his role after 2024 — if he even makes it that far" have surfaced.

Among the loudest voices taking Johnson to task is Greene, who has threatened to file a motion to vacate his office if he does not meet the demands of herself and other hardline conservative House GOP members, particularly on opposition to providing more aid to Ukraine in its ongoing war with Russia. Greene has said that those funds should instead be spent domestically, including on measures to strengthen security at the U.S.-Mexico border amid an influx of migrants arriving into the country.

Speaking with Politico for an article published Sunday, the congresswoman admitted that the GOP's desperation is largely why Johnson still has the speakership, even as his position within the party is increasingly perilous.

"I don't think he's safe right now," Greene said. "The only reason he's speaker is because our conference is so desperate."

Newsweek reached out to Johnson's office via email for comment.

During a Wednesday appearance on CNN's The Source, host Kaitlan Collins questioned Johnson about Greene's recent threats to his speakership, to which the Louisiana lawmaker insisted he was not worried.

"No, I have a job to do," Johnson said. "We all have to do our jobs. Marjorie Taylor Greene is very upset about the lack of oversight over the funding and over the lack of an articulation of a plan, as am I."

He later added, in response to a note about Greene vowing to vote "no" on any funding bill with Ukraine aid: "I understand. I've talked with her about it personally at great length and she's made her position very clear. We have to do our job. We have to continue to ensure that we're covering all these bases and we'll see how this all shakes out."