Democrats Question If They Should Have Driven Harder Bargain For Supporting House Speaker Mike Johnson

As House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) looks likely to survive a motion to vacate next week, some Democrats are now questioning whether they should have leveraged their support for more concessions according to reports from Axios. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) said she would force a vote on the motion to vacate after initially filing it in March.

“There’s definitely growing pressure to use the leverage we obviously have … people want to make sure that we’re not going to be a cheap date,” Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) said on Wednesday according to the outlet. An anonymous House Democrat also expressed a desire for “real” concessions from Johnson stating they “have yet seen any tangible evidence of deal-making and that’s what we want to see.”

Johnson claims he did not ask for or negotiate a deal for Democrats’ support. However, Democrats did finally get a vote on foreign aid to Ukraine Israel and Taiwan along with humanitarian aid to Gaza passed last month after months of stalling.

Many centrist Democrats said they believed saving Johnson was the right decision to continue governing. With the GOP’s narrow majority and assurances from House Democrats that they would table the motion to vacate how many Republicans will vote against tabling the motion could affect the future of Johnson’s role in House GOP leadership after being thrust there in October.

Greene Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) said they would vote for the motion to vacate while all other Republicans have either publicly backed Johnson or not taken a firm public stance.