Rep. Matt Gaetz announced on Sunday that he intends to remove House Speaker Kevin McCarthy from his leadership position after McCarthy relied on Democratic support to pass legislation and avoid a government shutdown. McCarthy responded to Gaetz’s statement with a defiant “Bring it on.” Gaetz, a known nemesis of McCarthy, accused him of breaking agreements made with House Republicans in January and stated his intention to file a motion to vacate the chair, as permitted by House rules.
This move to remove the speaker from office is unprecedented and could result in procedural votes or a House floor vote on McCarthy’s position. Gaetz expressed the need for new leadership that can be trusted, while many Republican lawmakers criticized the House for delaying the annual spending bills and missing the opportunity to negotiate on spending and policy priorities.
McCarthy has consistently attempted to appease the conservative wing of his party during his nearly nine months as speaker. He launched an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden without a House vote and proposed spending levels for the next year that were far below the previously agreed-upon caps. Despite his efforts, some Republicans deemed his short-term plan to fund the government insufficient, leading to the need for a bill with Democratic support.
Gaetz had threatened to file his motion if McCarthy worked with Democrats, claiming that the spending package exceeded the spending guardrails agreed upon by McCarthy. While McCarthy enjoys widespread support among House Republicans, his slim majority may require him to gather votes from Democrats to maintain his position. Gaetz asserted that McCarthy would only remain speaker if Democrats bailed him out, receiving criticism from both Republicans and Democrats for his tactics.
Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez expressed support for ousting McCarthy as speaker, calling him a “weak speaker” who had “lost control of his caucus.” However, she left room for negotiation, stating that if Democrats supported McCarthy, it would come at a price. President Biden declined to comment on the possibility of helping McCarthy keep his job.
Gaetz’s actions have drawn scorn from many House Republicans, with accusations that he is driven by personal and political motives. McCarthy criticized Gaetz for prioritizing TV interviews over action. Despite the criticism, McCarthy remained confident that Gaetz would fail in his attempts to remove him from office.
The House rules allow any lawmaker to file a motion to vacate the chair, which is an attempt to remove the speaker from their leadership position. Historically, this motion has been used to promote accountability. McCarthy agreed to give a small number of Republicans the ability to initiate a vote to remove him during his run for speaker but later reduced the threshold to one, following tradition.
Both Gaetz and McCarthy appeared on various news programs to discuss the situation, while Ocasio-Cortez and other lawmakers expressed their opinions on the potential vote.
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