Republican congressman calls for impeachment of US House Speaker

Congresswoman Marjorie Greene proposed removing US House Speaker Mike Johnson from office, starting a process that could see him lose his job.

Hard-line Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene announced on March 22 that she had filed a motion to impeach US House Speaker Mike Johnson, after he ignored many members of the Republican Party to pass a $1.2 trillion budget bill to help the US government avoid the risk of a shutdown from the early morning of March 23.

The move has caused discontent among hard-line Republicans. "The bill is a betrayal of the American people," she said.

Mike Johnson was sworn in as Speaker of the US House of Representatives on October 25, 2023. Photo: Reuters — Mike Johnson was sworn in as Speaker of the US House of Representatives on October 25, 2023. Photo: *Reuters*

The budget bill was passed by the US House of Representatives with 286 votes in favor and 134 votes against, ending a more than 6-month debate on the scale of US government spending in fiscal year 2024. It will continue to increase the US public debt, which is currently at nearly 34,600 billion USD.

The US Senate has a few hours to pass the bill before a partial US government shutdown.

The proposed impeachment move could also reignite internal struggles within the Republican Party between conservatives and fervent supporters of former President Donald Trump.

The Speaker of the US House of Representatives has not commented on the information.

Under rules passed early last year, any lawmaker can petition to remove the Speaker, and the chamber must vote on the motion within two days. Speaker Johnson would need at least 218 votes from the 435 members of the House to retain his post.

Republican Mike Johnson was elected the 56th Speaker of the US House of Representatives on October 25, 2023, ending three weeks of turmoil after the ouster of Senator Kevin McCarthy. Johnson, 52, is the least experienced Speaker of the House in more than a century, having never chaired a committee or held a senior role in the US House of Representatives.

Vu Anh (According to Reuters, AFP )

Source link