Matt Gaetz Plans to Swiftly Oust Kevin McCarthy – Latest Developments

Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz from Florida announced his intention to file a motion this week to remove House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

In an interview with CNN’s “State of the Union,” Gaetz stated, “If Kevin McCarthy is still the speaker of the House when you host this show next week, he will be serving at the pleasure of the Democrats.”

This declaration comes shortly after Congress passed a 45-day stopgap spending bill with 335 votes in favor. The majority of Democrats (209 votes) and a significant number of Republicans (126 votes) supported the bill. The measure was passed just before the deadline to avoid a government shutdown.

McCarthy had to negotiate with Democrats after struggling to secure enough votes from his fellow Republicans.

This decision, however, has led to backlash from House Republicans like Gaetz, who had threatened to remove McCarthy as speaker if he collaborated with the Democrats to reach a deal.

Gaetz needs at least 218 votes for the motion to oust McCarthy to succeed.

“I have enough House Republicans to ensure that we no longer support Kevin McCarthy. By the end of the week, he will either cease to be the speaker or continue serving at the Democrats’ pleasure,” Gaetz confidently stated.

However, McCarthy may not find support among Democrats either.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez expressed her willingness to vote against McCarthy, stating, “I think he’s a weak speaker who has lost control of his caucus. He has brought our country and millions of Americans to the brink by waiting until the last moment to keep the government open, and even then, he only proposed a 45-day extension, so we’ll be back in this situation in November,” during her appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Ocasio-Cortez further emphasized that if McCarthy wants the Democrats’ help in keeping his job, he would have to negotiate: “Unless Kevin McCarthy asks for a vote, we won’t give anything away for free.”