It should come as no surprise that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (R-GA) effort to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has “fizzled.” Axios recently published a report noting that there is not enough support for the effort to remove Johnson from his position, a development that seemed apparent from the moment Greene filed the motion to vacate over a month ago.

The reality is that there are far too many forces working against a move to replace Johnson, and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle seem to recognize this.

The debate over the matter stems from Johnson’s foreign aid decisions, particularly when it comes to sending more taxpayer money to Ukraine. Several Republican lawmakers, even those in the conservative wing of the party, have indicated they would not support the initiative to remove Johnson as speaker.

“I oppose a motion to vacate at the current time,” said Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who led the ouster against former Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) said the move is “pretty much not gonna happen” because they are “at too much of a slim majority.”

Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) shared these sentiments, noting that he is “not hearing a lot of critical mass for it” and that “it’s not the time. Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ) said he has “left the door open” to ousting Johnson, but he does not “think it’s good timing” because “if it was triggered, I don’t think it would pass.”

On the other side of the aisle, Democrats have already said they would protect Johnson. “We will vote to table Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Motion to Vacate the Chair,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY).

Other Republican lawmakers have suggested it would be wiser to focus on actual issues instead of internal conflicts. Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), who has been critical of Johnson’s decisions, noted that constituents “want us to unify and beat Democrats.”

As the internal GOP rifts surface, some Republicans are focusing on broader issues rather than internal conflicts. Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) criticized the leadership’s recent actions but emphasized the need for unity: “We’ve been home, we’ve been talking to constituents... They also want us to unify and beat Democrats. So we’ve got to do those two things.”

Meanwhile, Johnson said he was still focused on the functionality of Congress.

“I have to do my job, we have to do what we believe to be the right thing. What the country needs right now is a functioning Congress,” Johnson said when asked his reaction. “We need people who are serious about the job here.”

Johnson appeared unaware of Democratic leaders’ decision beforehand and said he did not discuss a motion to vacate with Jeffries earlier this month when Democratic voters were critical to passing Johnson’s $95 billion foreign aid plan.

Greene’s plan to remove Johnson as speaker is dead in the water – at least for now. The reality is that Johnson’s position is well-protected at the moment. He has managed to avoid angering enough lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to prompt them to support his ouster.

It is also worth mentioning that House Republicans appear to be reading the writing on the wall. They recognize that dragging the nation through another effort to replace Johnson would be about as smart as trying to breathe underwater. Not only would it fail, but it would also send the message to the voting public that they are not serious about working for the American people. Such a move would undoubtedly cost them big at the ballot box in November.