House Conservative files motion to oust Boehner as speaker

A conservative Republican who was disciplined earlier this year after defying House leaders is pushing a largely symbolic effort to strip John Boehner of his position as House speaker.

Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina on Tuesday filed a resolution to vacate the chair, an initial procedural step. Meadows is a member of the House Freedom Caucus, a group often at odds with Boehner. Recently they have disagreed on whether the Export-Import Bank, a government export credit agency, should be continued. Conservatives are trying to kill the bank; Boehner supports it.

The proposal was referred to a committee stocked with leadership loyalists, and it is unlikely to emerge. The move, however, reflected the discontent among the more conservative wing of the House GOP, whose members have been frustrated with the willingness of leaders to compromise on some legislation.

The resolution said Boehner, R-Ohio, "has endeavored to consolidate power and centralize decision-making, bypassing the majority of the 435 Members of Congress and the people they represent."

The resolution Meadows filed accused the speaker of causing "the power of Congress to atrophy, thereby making Congress subservient to the Executive and Judicial branches, diminishing the voice of the American People." And it said Boehner "uses the power of the office to punish members who vote according to their conscience instead of the will of the Speaker."

The acrimony within the Republican Party has been on stark display in Congress. Last Friday, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, a presidential hopeful, accused Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., of lying about votes.

Last month, Meadows was briefly stripped of his subcommittee chairmanship in a move backed by Boehner, but House GOP leaders later relented after conservatives objected.

Boehner's office had no comment. He is in his third term as Speaker.

Some conservatives in the House spoke about Meadow's motion in favorable terms on Tuesday, while other members derided it as a publicity stunt.

"I guess some people can't get enough attention," said Representative Carlos Curbelo, a freshman representative from Florida, said as he left the Capitol on Tuesday.

Republican Representative Peter King expressed concern that public debate over the August recess would be focused on Meadows' motion instead of what King said should be the focus: the Iran nuclear deal.

Wire services