Speaker Mike Johnson (R‑LA) is moving to cool House tensions as a band of hard-line Republicans weigh whether to set in motion an attempt at his ouster.
Conservatives are livid with Johnson over a series of bills he put on the floor, most recently foreign aid for Ukraine that a majority of Republicans opposed. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R‑GA) filed a motion to remove him as speaker in March, but she has so far held off on forcing a vote.
Johnson could bring stability to what has been a chaotic Congress if the House raised the threshold on that motion, which a single member can bring forward today. Senior Republicans have urged him to pursue these and other changes to neutralize the threat posed by his right flank.
But Johnson has shied away from any steps that would be perceived as retribution, fearing the domino effect it might cause in a chamber h …