Mike Johnson squashes another internal revolt

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) put down an internal rebellion over a procedural vote for the second time in two weeks, this time over advancing the $900 billion national defense authorization bill.Why it matters: Rule votes are supposed to be routine for the majority party, but House Republicans have increasingly used them to punish their own leadership, creating recurring crises for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and derailing the chamber's legislative business.Johnson, Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) and Republican Conference Chair Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) were on the House floor Wednesday afternoon trying to persuade defectors, including Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), to vote yes. Massie remained the lone GOP "no" vote, but Greene — along with Reps. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) and Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) — all flipped and voted yes. Several moderates were also withholding their votes but ultimately backed the rule after conversations with leadership. The five-minute vote was held open for over an hour. It passed 215-211. The big picture: House Republicans have increasingly tanked rule votes — the procedural step that opens debate on a bill and has historically fallen along party lines — to register opposition to leadership.Last week, GOP defectors took issue with name, image and likeness legislation that would provide a federal framework to help regulate college sports.Although the rule eventually passed, the bill was later scrapped once it became clear leadership didn't have the votes to move forward.Johnson has typically left votes open for hours while he works to sway holdouts. The House earlier this year broke the record for its longest-ever vote on a rule. Behind the scenes: GOP leadership was worried about having enough support for the rule vote, as Axios reported Tuesday.