Moderate Democrats could save House Speaker Johnson from wrath of hard-line conservatives over spending deal, says report

• Some Democrats are prepared to defend Speaker Mike Johnson from far-right Republicans, NBC News reported.
• Dissent has grown among Republicans after Johnson brokered a bipartisan spending deal.
• Rep. Scott Peters wants to end the rule allowing a single lawmaker to force vote to remove Speaker.

A group of moderate Democrats has signaled their readiness to support Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson if hard-line conservatives attempt to remove him from power, echoing the ousting of his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy, NBC News reports.

The bipartisan act of solidarity seeks to prevent another prolonged congressional standstill.

"I would be very surprised if there aren't a number of Democrats who would support Johnson because I think we're so tired of this," disclosed an anonymous senior moderate House Democrat, per NBC.

The pledge of support provides Johnson with a stronger standing amid fresh threats from far-right members dissatisfied with the bipartisan spending deal he brokered.

The $1.59 trillion top-line spending deal, agreed upon by Johnson and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, has triggered discontent among some conservative Republicans, leading to the potential use of a "motion to vacate" to force a vote against Johnson's speakership.

The deal, announced by congressional leaders on Sunday, seeks to avoid a shutdown. The deal allocates $886 billion to military spending and $704 billion for non-defense spending for the 2024 fiscal year, Reuters reports.

In a meeting with conservatives, including MAGA sentinel Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who opposes the spending deal, Johnson maintained, "Our top-line agreement remains."

Not all Democrats are willing to support Johnson, citing differences in views on issues such as abortion, the separation of church and state, and the events of January 6.

Johnson's predecessor, Kevin McCarthy, lost his job as speaker for the first time in US history in October in a similar row over spending.

As a result, Democratic Rep. Scott Peters wants to eliminate the rule allowing a single lawmaker to force a vote - the "motion to vacate" - to remove the speaker to avoid unnecessary power struggles.

When Republicans retook the chamber with a slim majority, McCarthy capitulated to a group of hardline Republicans' demands that the measure be made available to any single member of the chamber.