WASHINGTON – House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., will begin the upcoming year without the risk of being easily removed, having avoided a rule that some GOP members used to oust his predecessor.

Two groups within the House Republican conference, the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus and the more centrist Main Street Caucus, have worked together on a rule change that may shield Johnson from any attempts to depose him.

The central issue is a procedural mechanism known as the motion to vacate, which Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., and his fellow conservatives utilized to dismiss former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., from his position. This mechanism has frequently been cited as a significant factor contributing to the ongoing turmoil experienced in the House over the last two years.

This motion permitted any single member to initiate a vote to remove the speaker, giving each member atypical influence compared to less prominent lawmakers. Now, this threshold will be adjusted to require nine members instead.

Earlier today, President-elect Donald Trump met with House members, urging them to unite and “deliver what the American public desired last week,” as reported by Freedom Caucus Chair Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md.

“We’ve successfully collaborated across the conference to resolve divisive issues and move forward together to support the president’s agenda,” he explained to reporters.

This agreement will be officially enacted at the start of the next Congress in January, during a time when members will revise their governing rules. Additionally, Johnson was unanimously chosen to continue as House Speaker in a Wednesday meeting of House GOP members.

McCarthy had accepted the excessively low threshold for his removal in January 2023 to obtain enough votes to assume the speaker’s role.

However, this tool became a persistent threat that allowed the more right-wing members of the chamber to pressure the speaker to dismiss bipartisan compromises in critical negotiations, such as government funding and increasing the debt ceiling.

Gaetz, who became Trump’s nominee for attorney general on Wednesday, leveraged this tool to push for a vote regarding McCarthy’s position in October 2023 due to McCarthy’s collaboration with Democrats to prevent a government shutdown. Numerous Republicans sided with Gaetz, leading to McCarthy’s ouster.

The House then became paralyzed for three weeks as House Republicans struggled to select a new leader.

Johnson ultimately was appointed as speaker, rising to this role after serving as the fifth-ranking Republican in the House. However, the same internal disputes that troubled McCarthy often hindered conservative legislative initiatives and complicated the difficult choices Johnson had to confront as speaker.

Earlier this year, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., attempted to use a motion to vacate to oust Johnson; however, this effort was broadly dismissed in the chamber.

With Republicans now poised to have complete control in the upcoming Congress – governing the House, Senate, and the White House – they are keen to streamline legislative processes.