Mike Johnson wrapped up the Speaker of the House vote on Friday on the first vote, but he also won something else: a new rules package that will make it more difficult for detractors (and Democrats) to engineer his ouster from the position.

We saw what happened in 2023 when former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) led a movement to remove then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), a bid that eventually proved successful. That led to McCarthy’s resignation from Congress, 22 days without a speaker, and numerous contentious votes before lawmakers were able to agree on Johnson.

Background: Kevin McCarthy Jettisoned as House Speaker—Conservative Influencers Chime In

Gaetz Introduces Motion to Unseat House Speaker, McCarthy Says 'Bring It On'

Now the bar has been set higher for such a move, an outcome that almost certainly will allow Johson to sleep a little easier at night.

The rules package, which passed in a 215-209 vote, requires nine members of the majority party to co-sponsor a motion to vacate the speaker from the top leadership position, up from current rules that only require one. The change offers some breathing room for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) as he enters his first full term as speaker, especially after he faced initial opposition to secure the gavel earlier in the day. 

House Republicans have released a new rules package requiring support from 9 members of the majority party to call a vote on ousting the speaker of the House.

It was previously just one. pic.twitter.com/ulrA6UQYMx

— bryan metzger (@metzgov) January 1, 2025

Democrats whined about the move because they loved watching the chaos of the McCarthy drama and would love to see it repeated. It’s almost comedic seeing House Dems cry about “common ground” when they have searched for nothing of the sort for the last four years under the Biden-Pelosi-Schumer regime.

“Their proposed changes would, for the first time in American history, shield the Speaker from accountability to the entire chamber by making it so that only Republicans can move to oust the speaker,” Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), the top Democrat on the House Rules Committee, said in a statement. “This makes it clear that they have no intention of working together to find common ground. Instead of electing a Speaker of the House, they have decided to elect a Speaker of the Republican Conference — held hostage by their most extreme members.”

Aw. Need a tissue, Jim? The reality is folks like McGovern have zero interest in finding common ground—they’re just upset that the GOP has come up with a way to put some semblance of order in the House and are trying to tamp down on the circus atmosphere that at times has prevented Republicans from focusing on their goals. 

Meanwhile, it takes a little power from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), who will doubtless spend the next two years doing everything in his power to undermine the GOP and the change in direction that the American electorate so clearly demanded in the November elections.

One thing is clear: while we don’t want to see the GOP become a mindless monolith like the progressives, and dissent is a necessary and important part of the political process, it is also true that Republicans will need to work together to enact President-elect Trump’s agenda and reverse the decline we’ve seen under Biden. 

Having a speaker who isn’t worried he’s going to get fired every minute will help achieve that goal.