Since House Leader Kevin McCarthy cooperated with Democrats on Saturday to avert a government shutdown, Rep. Matt Gaetz plans to try to unseat McCarthy from his position this week.
In an interview with AWN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union,” the Republican from Florida said he plans to file a move to vacate this week, which would lead to a vote on whether or not McCarthy will keep his job.
On Sunday, Gaetz claimed that since January, when McCarthy made a deal with House conservatives, “he has been in brazen, repeated material breach of that deal.” The deal he made with Democrats to completely ignore the budget limits we imposed was the final straw.
A motion to vacate against Speaker McCarthy will be filed this week, he continued. It’s time to tear off the Band-Aid, in my opinion. I believe it’s time to find new, reliable leaders and move on.
Gaetz’s promise escalates a dispute that has been brewing for months between McCarthy and the conservative wing of his conference. McCarthy had to go through 15 rounds of voting in January before he was elected speaker. McCarthy forged a bargain to secure the speakership of the House that included the provision that only one member may initiate a move to resign. The California Republican had to constantly negotiate with the conservative wing of his party all year long in order to get anything done as governor.
After more discussion with Gaetz on Sunday, McCarthy just told the Floridian to “bring it on.”
McCarthy remarked, “That’s nothing new,” on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”
It’s true; I’ll make it. It’s personal for Matt, you know. In order to preserve and secure our borders, Matt voted against the most conservative method. Getting on TV is more important to him than really achieving anything.
Then he said, “All right then, bring it on. Let’s stop arguing and start running the country.
After President Joe Biden signed the deal to keep the government running until mid-November on Saturday, minutes before funding was supposed to expire at midnight, McCarthy may have finally faced his day of reckoning. Earlier in the day, McCarthy made a dramatic about-face, joining forces with Democrats to support a continuing resolution that would prevent a government shutdown by a large margin. Later on Saturday, the law was also unanimously approved by the Senate.
McCarthy’s actions may have cost him his job, as Gaetz has threatened nearly every day.
Another Republican hardliner who has been critical of McCarthy, Arizona Representative Eli Crane, posted support for McCarthy’s dismissal on X on Sunday.
In response to Gaetz’s promise to submit a request to vacate this week, Crane exclaimed, “Lets roll!”
On Friday, AWN reported that Gaetz had approached Democrats about who would replace McCarthy as speaker if he were to submit a petition to vacate, so forcing a vote on whether to remove McCarthy from office.
McCarthy is unyielding, and on Saturday he dared his critics to try to force him out of his position.
“If somebody wants to make a motion against me, bring it,” McCarthy said to AWN’s Manu Raju at a press conference. Someone of legal age must be present. When I am in charge, I will do what is best for the country.
The Florida Republican said McCarthy lied during talks over extending funding.
“Listen, if there’s one thing on which we can all agree, it’s that no one has any faith in Kevin McCarthy. He lied to both Biden and the conservative members of the House. His appropriaters were using an entirely different marking system. It wasn’t a software flaw that made us vulnerable to the shutdown politics, either. As he put it, “it’s a feature.”
Since McCarthy has showed no interest in collaborating with Democrats and initiated an impeachment inquiry into Biden, a senior Democratic source told AWN that most members of their caucus are sceptical about preserving him.
According to various sources, McCarthy has not yet made any attempts at genuine engagement with Democratic leaders on this topic. Some moderate Democrats in the party, though, would strive to assist McCarthy remain in power if they can benefit from doing so.
According to another Democrat source, the caucus will deliberate this week and give House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries leeway to manoeuvre.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York, declared on Sunday’s “State of the Union” that she would “absolutely” vote to remove McCarthy from office.
I find Kevin McCarthy to be a very ineffectual public speaker. His caucus is plainly no longer under his leadership. “He has brought the United States and millions of Americans to the brink, waiting until the final hour to keep the government open, and even then, issuing only a 45-day extension,” she stated.
It’s obvious that Gaetz has spent the past few days, if not longer, polling Democrats in the House to gauge their interest in ousting McCarthy as speaker.
If Democrats don’t save Kevin McCarthy this week, he won’t be House speaker by the weekend. It’s likely that they will now. He predicted that Kevin McCarthy will reach a compromise with the Democrats because “when you believe in nothing as Kevin McCarthy does, everything is negotiable.”
Gaetz remarked, “I think Democrats should vote against McCarthy for free,” and if they assist McCarthy keep his speakership, “He will be their speaker, not mine.” when asked how he would have the Democrats help depose McCarthy.
The earliest that may happen is Monday, since the House is gaveled out until then. At that point, the leadership would have two days to choose a date for the vote.
