CNN
—
House conservatives revolted against GOP leadership and defeated a key vote on the floor Wednesday, the latest blow to Speaker Mike Johnson that comes after former President Donald Trump called on Republicans to kill a controversial surveillance law.
Trump had urged House Republicans to reject a reauthorization of the law, known as FISA, ahead of the key procedural vote on Wednesday, adding to headaches for GOP leaders who have struggled to build support for the legislation, but were still attempting to forge ahead and advance the bill.
“KILL FISA,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.
This marks the fourth time in Johnson’s tenure that the House has defeated a rule vote, a major embarrassment for leadership.
The tally was 193 to 228, with 19 Republicans bucking House GOP leadership and voting with Democrats to sink the procedural vote and take down a rule to govern debate on the reauthorization bill as well as several other bills.
House Republicans have been fiercely divided over how to handle the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act reauthorization, putting pressure on Johnson to find a path forward amid competing factions within his conference. With the threat of a vote on his ouster looming, the Louisiana Republican’s every move is under even more intense scrutiny, and the speaker has once again found himself odds with his right flank over the surveillance law.
Johnson signaled he still believes they can find a path forward on FISA this week despite deep divisions and little progress after two lengthy conference meetings devoted to the topic Wednesday.
“We still have time on the clock this week,” he told reporters. “We are going to try and find a way to unlock the rule and I think it’s possible.”
“We will be talking to members about it tonight, trying to figure that out,” he added.
Johnson had previously announced that the House would take up a FISA reauthorization bill this week. The bill, titled the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act, would reauthorize Section 702 of FISA for five years and aims to impose a series of reforms. Now, the fate of the effort is up in the air after the failure of the key vote Wednesday.
Several conservatives announced they would move to sink the procedural vote earlier in the day.
Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz, said he would vote against the procedural vote. Additionally, Florida GOP Rep. Anna Paulina Luna wrote on X, “we are killing FISA,” in response to Trump’s Truth Social post. And Tennessee GOP Rep. Tim Burchett told CNN he would be voting no on the rule. When told that would kill it, he said, “good.”
00:49 – Source: CNN
Marjorie Taylor Greene’s threat to oust Johnson triggers GOP backlash
In a sign of rising tensions as Republican infighting intensifies, Rep. Tom McClintock stood up in a conference meeting Wednesday evening and called for “retribution” for any GOP colleagues who oppose key procedural votes, according to a source in the room.
Separately, Johnson has made plans to trek down to Mar-a-Lago on Friday to appear at a joint news conference with the former president to deliver remarks on…
This article was originally published by a amp.cnn.com . Read the Original article here. .