In the hallowed and often chaotic halls of the U.S. House of Representatives, history appears to be repeating itself—or at least rhyming—with the ongoing saga of House Speaker Mike Johnson. Facing internal dissent, external criticism, and the ever-present specter of being ousted like his predecessor Kevin McCarthy, Johnson is now pushing for a rule change that could fundamentally shift how power is wielded in the lower chamber.
At the heart of the proposed rule is a seemingly simple adjustment: raising the threshold for initiating a motion to vacate from a single member to nine members of the majority party. On paper, this might seem like a procedural tweak—something of interest only to parliamentary wonks and political insiders. But the implications are far-reaching and deeply political.
First, let’s remember how we got here. In January 2023, Kevin McCarthy secured the Speakership after 15 grueling rounds of voting. One of the concessions he made to the hardline conservative faction of his party was lowering the threshold for a motion to vacate to just one member—a ticking time bomb that eventually detonated when McCarthy worked with Democrats to avert a government shutdown. That one-member trigger became the sword that ended McCarthy’s tenure, marking the first time in history a Speaker had been removed this way.
This is spot on! If President Trump trusts Mike Johnson as Speaker of the House, there should be no infighting about it.
The most important thing right now is to stand together and realize that we are stronger together than we are divided. pic.twitter.com/vmR9Anav9k
— David J Harris Jr (@DavidJHarrisJr) January 1, 2025
Now, Mike Johnson finds himself walking the same tightrope. Despite being generally well-liked among Republicans and enjoying the powerful endorsement of President-elect Donald Trump, Johnson has faced backlash for—stop me if you’ve heard this one—relying on Democratic votes to pass crucial legislation, including spending bills. The irony here is thick enough to spread on toast: Johnson’s survival strategy is the very thing that sealed McCarthy’s fate.
The pushback from Democrats has been predictably sharp. Rep. Jim McGovern called the measure evidence that Republicans have no intention of fostering bipartisanship, while Rep. Joe Morelle went as far as calling it a “very dark day for democracy.” Are these criticisms purely principled, or is there an element of political calculation? Likely both. After all, Democrats are watching as Republicans attempt to fortify their leadership against internal rebellion, and they know that the same rules can—and will—be used against them in the future.
Rep. Jared Moskowitz’s warning is particularly worth noting: once you start limiting the minority party’s procedural power, it’s a slippery slope. Today it’s the motion to vacate, tomorrow it might be committee appointments or the ability to file certain bills. These mechanisms are more than just parliamentary quirks; they’re fundamental tools for maintaining balance and accountability in Congress.
But let’s not ignore the real driver behind this rule change: fear. Johnson knows that his grip on power is precarious. His conservative detractors smell weakness, and they’ve shown no hesitation in leveraging procedural tools to get what they want. For Johnson, raising the threshold to nine members isn’t just about insulating himself—it’s about buying time and stability in an environment where both are in short supply.
Yet, this rule change isn’t without risk. If Republicans push it through, they might be securing Johnson’s position in the short term, but they’re also setting a precedent that Democrats will undoubtedly exploit the next time they control the House. Political maneuvering is rarely a one-way street, and what feels like a safeguard today might become a straitjacket tomorrow.
There’s also the broader question of leadership. Johnson’s pitch to his party—“There’s no other alternative for Speaker of the House, guys”—is both candid and revealing. It suggests not confidence, but inevitability. It’s less a rallying cry and more an appeal to exhaustion. After the chaos surrounding McCarthy’s removal and the marathon process of selecting Johnson, few in the GOP have the stomach for another drawn-out leadership fight.
