WASHINGTON (March 22, 2024) – Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene filed a motion this afternoon to remove House Speaker Mike Johnson from his leadership role after Congress passed a funding bill to avert a government shutdown. The motion signifies an escalation of the GOP’s inner party divisions, especially after Johnson took the speakership after the historic ousting of Rep. Kevin McCarthy.
Faculty experts at the George Washington University are available to offer insight, analysis and commentary on the latest out of the House. If you would like to speak with an expert, please contact GW Media Relations Specialists Tayah Frye at [email protected] and Cate Douglass at [email protected].
Peter Loge is the director of GW’s School of Media and Public Affairs. He has nearly 30 years of experience in politics and communications, having served as a deputy to the chief of staff for Sen. Edward Kennedy during the 1995 shutdown, a VP at the US Institute of Peace in 2013, and held senior positions for three members of the U.S. House of Representatives. Loge currently leads the Project on Ethics in Political Communication at the School of Media and Public Affairs and continues to advise advocates and organizations.
"Republican hardliners in the House have a remarkable ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory," Loge says. "Hardliners in the House seem determined to punish their leaders and colleagues who find ways to keep the lights on and keep Congress focused on solving problems. It might make for great social media posts and fundraising emails, but it's a terrible way to run a country. Democracy is about working with people with whom you disagree to solve shared problems. That means compromise and finding common ground. Democracy is not about holding your breath until you turn blue or throwing temper tantrums in the checkout line at the grocery store."
Todd Belt is the director of the Political Management Program at the GW Graduate School of Political Management. Belt is an expert on the presidency, campaigns and elections, mass media and politics, public opinion, and political humor. In addition to his expertise, Belt is co-author of four books and helps to run GW’s political poll, which recently shared new findings.
Casey Burgat, Legislative Affairs Program Director and Associate Professor at GW’s School of Political Management is an expert on Congressional capacity and reform. Burgat co-authored Congress Explained: Representation and Lawmaking in the First Branch.
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