Johnson's 'Blood Oath' to GOP Budget Holdouts: Oust Me

House Republican leader Mike Johnson has put his speakership on the line in an effort to convince conservative holdouts that he will adhere to the fiscal promises made in budget negotiations, telling them to remove him as speaker if he doesn't, Politico reported Thursday.

The Louisiana Republican's pledge, tantamount to a "blood oath," Politico reported, came in a private meeting Wednesday night with conservative holdouts on the reconciliation bill that will fund President Donald Trump's legislative agenda. The holdouts forced Johnson to postpone Wednesday's vote.

The "big, beautiful bill" passed 216-214 on Thursday after Johnson committed to $1.5 trillion in spending cuts. The budget bill passed by the Senate called for just $4 billion in cuts.

It was Johnson's assurance, in part, that converted enough of the "no" votes to pass it. A memo signed by Johnson and shared Thursday said the speaker is "committed to maintaining linkage between provisions that result in a deficit increase ... and provisions that reduce federal spending" and would deliver a "fiscally responsible product," according to the report.

If he fails to do so, he told the holdouts to oust him via a "motion to vacate" vote, Politico reported.

Johnson became speaker when former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., led an effort that ousted former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. Johnson, too, has been threatened with the procedure more than once.

Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., referenced the lack of trust of between some GOP members and leadership.

"To be blunt, there are members on Capitol Hill who don't trust members of the Senate and frankly, don't trust members of leadership in order to deliver on a lot of the promises that have been made over the years up here on Capitol Hill," he told Newsmax on Tuesday.

Further, Donalds said the real divide among House Republicans was not spending cuts but "about bending the cost curve in mandatory spending," Donalds said. "We are spending far too much money."

With Thursday's hurdle cleared, House and Senate Republicans will get to work on legislative text that will take weeks or months with more votes to come in late spring or this summer. That is to begin after the two-week Easter recess.

"We have bills drafted. Most of them have been scored already," Johnson told reporters. "Now we go through the process of marking it up and finding the equilibrium points with everybody so that all those interests are met."