Democrats prepare to ride to Johnson's rescue, gingerly

If such a provision were included in the rule, Greene said, the speaker owed his conference a meeting to explain himself.

“If he attaches a rule to change the motion to vacate and uses Democrat votes on the Rules Committee, he’s going to prove exactly what I have been saying correct: he is the Democrat speaker,” she said.

It wasn’t clear as of Thursday afternoon what the final rule would look like. After he was asked by Massie during the Rules meeting whether raising the motion-to-vacate threshold would be included, new Rules Chairman Michael C. Burgess, R-Texas, said he didn’t know. “I don’t have any direct knowledge of that,” he said.

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who triggered the earlier motion to vacate that ousted former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said he wouldn’t support such a rule change unless paired with a ban on lawmakers’ ability to trade stocks.

Still, Gaetz said he wouldn’t back Greene’s motion at this time because of the potential for Jeffries to become speaker given so many vacancies and potential GOP defections.

Senate timing

The House is poised to consider the foreign aid packages as both chambers ready to leave for a weeklong recess in observance of Passover. With final House vote slated for Saturday, it’s unclear when the Senate would take up the four pieces of legislation, which will be combined into a single package before reaching the chamber.

Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., called the question of when the Senate would take up an expected House-passed security supplemental package “a Chuck Schumer question,” referring to Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer of New York.

“Passover is Monday. And so for a lot of our Jewish members that’s incredibly important to them not to be able to miss that,” he said. “We’re waiting on the House to be able to figure it out if they have a speaker on Saturday, and if they actually pass this on Saturday.”

Lankford said it is “100 percent possible” the Senate puts off floor work on the anticipated supplemental until Tuesday or Wednesday of next week, which is slated to be a recess week.

John T. Bennett and Paul M. Krawzak contributed to this report.