Before Republicans gathered to choose their nominee for the speakership, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene made some demands of what she expects from the next speaker.
Marjorie Taylor Greene Has ‘Demands’
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), after she was ostracized during her first term in the House, formed an alliance with Kevin McCarthy, before he began running for speaker. Greene backed McCarthy’s candidacy and later his agenda, even as her fellow lawmakers on the Republicans’ right flank opposed McCarthy and ultimately deposed him.
On Wednesday, before the Republicans in the House agreed to nominate Steve Scalise as their next speaker, Greene made clear that there are things she would like to see from whoever takes over for McCarthy in the House.
According to the Washington Examiner, Greene appeared on Fox Business earlier this week and, while she did not endorse a candidate for speaker, she described what she wants from the next speaker.
Greene, who had earlier declared that she wanted former President Donald Trump to serve as speaker, said that she wants “a Speaker that will commit to moving on the important issues I lay out.”
Those issues? Opposition to trans rights, and to continuing to fund the war in Ukraine.
“I represent the American people and I want a Speaker that will commit to moving on the important issues I lay out,” Greene said on X while sharing the Fox interview. “We need to protect kids from barbaric genital mutilation surgeries and we need to stop funding the proxy war with Russia in Ukraine.”
Greene also ripped the process under which her ally, McCarthy, was removed as speaker of the House.
“What happened last week, I completely disagree with. It was eight Republicans joining with all the Democrats in the House and basically throwing the gavel on the floor and saying it’s now up for grabs that anyone that wants it. This is not a serious thing to do when you control the House of Representatives,” Greene said on the Fox show. “And no matter how you feel about Kevin McCarthy, I can tell you I was getting things accomplished.”
Once the vote happened on Wednesday afternoon, Scalise emerged victorious from the Republican conference, defeating Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), who had been endorsed by former President Donald Trump. That does not, however, mean that Scalise will be the next speaker; the full House still must vote on a speaker, and it’s not clear Scalise has the support to win such a vote. Scalise won 113 to 99 in the Republican caucus vote, which was held behind closed doors, although many of the House members declared their support for specific candidates.
Greene voted to support Jordan, as did Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO). Jordan, per NBC News, said that he will nominate Scalise himself on the House floor and encourage his supporters to back the Louisiana Republican, who was previously House Majority Leader.
Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO) voted present during the Republican vote, he told reporters, because neither Scalise or Jordan could answer whether they thought President Biden really won the election in 2020.
“If we don’t have the moral clarity to decide whether President Biden won or not, we don’t have the moral clarity to rule,” Buck said.
Rep. Troy Nehls, who said he would still vote for Jordan in the vote of the full House, still hasn’t given up on the notion of Trump becoming speaker.
“I would imagine if we can’t find a speaker after a certain amount of time, I’m going have to come in and bring Donald in here,” Nehls said, per Politico.
It’s not clear when, exactly, the full House will vote on who to elect as speaker, but the business of the House cannot be done until one is in place. That goes for both a potential aid package for Israel, as well as a potential deal to avoid a government shutdown.
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Stephen Silver is a Senior Editor for 19FortyFive. He is an award-winning journalist, essayist and film critic, who is also a contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. Stephen has authored thousands of articles over the years that focus on politics, technology, and the economy for over a decade. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
