House Republicans Move to Make it Harder to Remove Speaker

The change would bolster the speaker’s defense against future unseating attempts.

Newly elected U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) takes his oath of office after the House of Representatives held an election in the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Oct. 25, 2023. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

A proposed set of rules governing House operations for the 119th Congress includes a notable change that would strengthen the speaker’s position against future ousting attempts.

The chamber’s current rules allow just one member of either party to force a vote to vacate the speaker. The new package, released on Jan. 1, would up that threshold by requiring the resolution to be brought by at least nine members of the majority party.