House Speaker Mike Johnson survived a motion to vacate. Here’s why his job is far from safe.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Mike Johnson’s job isn’t safe yet.

In a stunning show of unity in the often divided House, Democrats joined a majority of Republicans on Wednesday to save the GOP speaker from an attempt by fellow Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene to remove him from his post.

But while Democrats in the minority threw the Louisiana congressman a life raft by voting on his side, they made clear they might not do so again. That means the threat for Johnson still lingers as Greene and other lawmakers can at any time call up another motion to oust him.

The episode highlights the increasingly precarious situation for Johnson, who faces the same conservative forces that took down his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy, but with an even smaller majority that has forced him to continuously rely on Democratic support to carry out the most basic functions of legislating. Republicans control the House by the barest of margins, 217-213.

Here’s what to know about how the House can remove a speaker and what’s ahead for Johnson:

WHAT IS A MOTION TO VACATE?

The current rules of the House allow any lawmaker — Democrat or Republican — to put forward a resolution declaring the speaker’s chair vacant. If the House approves the resolution, it has the effect of ousting the speaker from office.

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