There’s been considerable angst, inside and outside of Congress, concerning foreign aid for Ukraine, Taiwan, and Israel. Two packages have passed the Senate, one with immigration restrictions demanded by the Republicans, and, when the Democrats came through with a close approximation of the demands, rejected by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Moscow?), while the other, lacking the border restrictions, may or may not have been officially rejected, I’m not sure.
The situation is urgent in all three countries, and Republicans appear distraught with indecision. Indeed, there is subdued chatter about using a discharge petition to force action on the matter. However, that is not a simple matter, and it occurs to me that there is another alternative.
It revolves around the fact a motion to vacate (the House Speaker’s chair) currently requires but a single signature on the petition, a consequence of Rep Gaetz’ (and perhaps others) partial price for voting for then-Rep Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) for House Speaker. Yes, a single Republican legislator can trigger a vote on whether the current Speaker should continue to occupy that position.
There are certainly Republicans who wish to pass the Senate’s legislation, although not enough to pass that legislation on their own. I suggest they join hands with the Democrats and make an agreement by which a Republican raises the motion to vacate, all the Democrats and enough Republicans vote to kick current Speaker Johnson out, vote another unnamed Republican into the Speakership, wherein that Republican does whatever is necessary to bring the legislation to the floor for a vote, gets it passed, and resigns the Speaker’s chair.
I don’t know if it’s possible to make that fly, but it’d be a real punch in the nose for both Vladimir Putin and future-Rep Johnson. Hell, he might resign in embarrassment.
