One month after losing (and subsequently recovering) his subcommittee gavel, a conservative congressman is attempting to remove House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) from his leadership post.
According to multiple news reports, Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) filed a motion to vacate the chair Tuesday. If the resolution were to pass, it would require the House to elect a new speaker.
The resolution offered by Meadows argues that Boehner has been "bypassing the majority" through centralized decision making; "caused the power of Congress to atrophy"; punishes members who "vote according to their conscience"; limits amendments on the House floor; and doesn't allow enough time for lawmakers to review legislation before voting on it.
A spokesperson for Meadows did not immediately return The Huffington Post’s request for comment.
Meadows, who was first elected to the House in 2012, voted against Boehner’s re-election as speaker in January and has frequently clashed with Republican leadership. In June, he was one of 34 Republicans who voted against a procedural motion to allow consideration of granting President Barack Obama fast-track authority on trade. Meadows’ vote reportedly angered Boehner, and the conservative was subsequently stripped of his chairmanship of the Government Operations subcommittee. However, after Meadows received an outpouring of support from colleagues, House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) returned the congressman’s gavel.
Meadows later indicated to Politico he intended to take on what he described as Boehner's "culture of punishment."
"A change of leadership will start to be talked about in more earnest terms," he said in June.
The congressman’s plan to unseat Boehner, however, faces a few obstacles.
Meadows did not file the measure as a privileged resolution, meaning it does not have to be brought up for a vote immediately. The motion, Roll Call reports, will instead be referred to the Rules Committee, which is chaired Boehner ally Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas). Sessions could choose never to bring the motion to the floor.
According to The Hill, the congressman plans to circulate a discharge petition to force a vote on the measure, which would require 218 signatures. However, that would require the support of House Democrats, who have indicated they would not support a conservative attempt to unseat Boehner.
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