House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) announced Wednesday afternoon that, after speaking to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), he will push forward with a House vote that will likely strip Rep. Marjorie Greene (R-GA) of her committee assignments on Thursday.
I spoke to Leader McCarthy this morning, and it is clear there is no alternative to holding a Floor vote on the resolution to remove Rep. Greene from her committee assignments. The Rules Committee will meet this afternoon, and the House will vote on the resolution tomorrow.
— Steny (Wear a Mask) Hoyer (@LeaderHoyer) February 3, 2021
The floor vote will force a GOP referendum on one of the most extreme members in the conference, and the QAnon conspiracy theory she has espoused.
“She has made incendiary attacks prior to and during her term in Congress with respect to the safety and welfare of the Speaker of the House and others in the House,” Hoyer told reporters on a Wednesday afternoon call. “And we believe she also gave aid and comfort to those who led an insurrection.”
Hoyer’s tweet constitutes a rejection of McCarthy’s reported offer to strip Greene of one of her committees — the Health Education & Labor Committee, seen as the most ludicrous post for a conspiracy theorist — but leave her on the other (the Budget committee). McCarthy, per Politico, even floated that she be put on another committee in lieu of the education one.
It seemed farfetched that Hoyer, leader of Democrats who are livid at social media comments Greene made approving of calls for the execution of leaders of their party, would agree to such a negotiation.
Hoyer did not clarify to reporters after the call what, if anything, McCarthy plans to do now.
“The language she has used, in many respects, goes far beyond the remarks that Steve King made through the years,” Hoyer said, referring to the former congressman from Iowa who McCarthy removed from committees after years of racist and white supremacist remarks.
Democrats wield significant power this time: The resolution to strip Greene of her assignments would yank her off the committees with just a simple majority vote, which can be done without any Republicans.
That ending to the drama would be less than optimal for Republicans, who would be forced onto the record with a vote to punish Greene or not. McCarthy, though, is clearly wary of angering the Greene-Trump base by coming down too hard.
The House Rules Committee is scheduled to have a meeting at 3 pm E.T. on the resolution. A vote would follow on Thursday, Hoyer said.
Meanwhile, as the clock ticks down on McCarthy’s time to act, if he’s going to, the Republican caucus is facing another intra-party feud. A conference is scheduled for later Wednesday afternoon, where the fate of Rep. Liz Cheney’s (R-WY) leadership position may be decided. After she voted to impeach Trump, some in the caucus have called for her to be removed as conference chair. Cheney, when passing by reporters, said that she wouldn’t comment on the situation until after the meeting.
Greene, sending out yet another fundraising blast, displayed no such reticence.
“Today’s the day I could be removed from committees, or worse, expelled from Congress,” she wrote, asking for “emergency donations” in bold, colorful font. “I need you to call your Representative and urge them to #StandWithMTG! Tell them not to cave to the radical socialists in Congress!”
This post has been updated.
