A day after being stripped of his office staff, funding and committee assignment, a Republican legislator was on the House floor doing the one thing that is left for him to do: cast a vote.
State Rep. Josh Schriver lost the privileges of his office on Monday when House Speaker Joe Tate (D-Detroit) said he was taking action for Schriver’s “sustained campaign of racist rhetoric and hate speech” when he posted last week on X of a graphic of the “Great Replacement” theory, which states that a conspiracy is targeting white Americans and Europeans to be “replaced” by non-white populations, often through immigration or interracial relationships.
As the House gaveled into session Tuesday, Schriver was at his desk, mostly on his own, until Republican members left the floor for a caucus meeting.
House Minority Leader Matt Hall (R-Richland Twp.) has not commented on Schriver’s posts or sanctions. Many Democratic leaders have criticized Schriver’s comments, including Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, as well as two Republican lawmakers, state Rep. Donni Steele (R-Orion Twp.) and state Sen. John Damoose (R-Harbor Springs).
When asked about the Schriver situation, House Republican spokesperson Jeremiah Ward did confirm that the representative remains a member of the GOP caucus, but declined to say if he had access to House Republican resources.
“The decision Speaker Tate made yesterday is between the Speaker and the representative. House Republicans are focused on the priorities of the people of Michigan,” said Ward.
While Schriver didn’t speak with reporters on Tuesday, he continues to post online the same sort of content that got him into trouble to begin with. The Great Replacement theory meme he posted last week, was technically a retweet from Jack Posobiec, a far-right influencer with 1.7 million followers on X.
The former U.S. Navy intelligence officer has been called the “most active spreader of disinformation among all internet performers in the far-right social media ecosystem,” by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which also catalogs his connections to extremist groups in the U.S. and Europe.
On the same day he lost his committee assignment and staff, Schriver retweeted another Posobiec post that pushes the Great Replacement conspiracy theory with a highlighted section stating, “It is clear Michigan is becoming more and more diverse every day. The Governor’s recent call to make Michigan the most immigrant-friendly state in the country will help move the needle as well.”
Schriver added, “Michigan, I would never replace you. Whitmer calls for our lovely Michigan residents to be swiftly replaced by foreign nationals …”
The text in question is from a 2012 post on the Data Driven Detroit website. The governor mentioned in the post was then-Gov. Rick Snyder, a Republican.
Schriver will also be a guest on Posobiec’s podcast this Thursday.
Rep. Josh Schriver social media post
Rep. Josh Schriver social media post
Rep. Josh Schriver social media post
Rep. Josh Schriver social media post
On Tuesday, GOP members, including Schriver, voted down a pair of bills that would have extended the dormancy period for specified properties of active-duty military or reserve members from three years to five years.
While the legislation passed out of their respective committees with bipartisan support, they fell victim to an ongoing dispute that Hall says stems from Tate reneging on a deal made last year to put forward a variety of Republican bills in exchange for GOP support on tax legislation to benefit homeowners in the city of Detroit. Tate denies that.
And after Tuesday’s failed vote, Hall issued a press release, continuing to call for shared power between the two parties, who each have 54 seated members.
“As House Democrats keep rejecting collaboration, they were once again hit by a dose of shared power reality,” said Hall. “House Republicans laid out 20 bills that we’d like to see pass the House, including four policies Speaker Tate promised to pass last year to protect women, relieve family farmers, aid foster youth, and support state corrections officers.”
While there are currently two vacant seats formerly held by Democrats, that situation is expected to be temporary, as both districts are heavily Democratic and special elections set for April 16 will likely return the Democrats’ 56-54 voting majority.
Until then, House Democrats say it isn’t fair that military members are being caught in the political crossfire.
“I’m in my third term and every term I’ve been on the [Military, Veterans, and Homeland Security Committee],” said state Rep. Tyrone Carter (D-Detroit). “This is the first time that I can remember that we did not vote for something to benefit veterans. This is disturbing because when you’re a veteran, you’re not a Republican, you’re not a Democrat. You serve the country and we owe a debt of gratitude for those freedoms we enjoy. I don’t know what this message was today, but it’s insulting to those that have served.”
Ward told reporters afterward that while the bill benefitted veterans, it wasn’t something that was a pressing priority, while the legislative package they want up for a vote is.
“The caucus is telling House Democrats we want to see action on these pressing issues like protecting women from fertility fraud or taking up the school safety, mental health task force legislation that’s been languishing in committee,” said Ward. “We have reservists in our caucus and one thing they mentioned was that reservists are not out of the country or away from their homes for as long as active duty members are because those deployments are typically going to be about a year. So, they’ll still have plenty of time to get back and handle the financial situation again.”