By Lisa Mascaro and Farnoush Amiri | Associated Press
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, facing a fractured and unruly Republican majority, challenged his colleagues threatening to remove him from his position: go ahead and try.
McCarthy dared his hard-right flank to take action and file a motion to oust him from his role as speaker. He emphasized his frustration and used profanity to express his sentiment. McCarthy finds himself in a familiar predicament, as past Republican speakers have struggled to lead a divided GOP majority split between traditional party members and the staunchly conservative faction closely aligned with former President Donald Trump.
Even his decision to initiate an impeachment inquiry against President Joe Biden failed to appease the demands of the Freedom Caucus and other conservatives. They threaten to shut down the government in pursuit of substantial spending cuts or move forward with a motion to remove McCarthy from office. Following the private meeting, McCarthy expressed his frustration with certain members of the conference but vowed to resolve the issue upon their return.
As McCarthy tries to survive his first year as House speaker, time is running out. He has a mere nine working days to pass the necessary spending bills to fund the government before risking a politically damaging federal shutdown. Such an interruption in government services would have adverse effects across the country and would likely result in the Republican party being held accountable for the chaos.
Republican Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida, a leading critic of McCarthy, continues to pressure him to meet conservative demands. Gaetz outlined numerous requirements during his post-meeting remarks, including the implementation of single-subject spending bills and a subpoena for Hunter Biden in the impeachment inquiry.
While McCarthy’s opponents did not speak during the private meeting, he still addressed them directly, using an expletive to emphasize his disregard for their threats. McCarthy has a reputation for being a survivor, having risen through the ranks over the past two decades to lead House Republicans.
Despite his resilience, McCarthy currently lacks a viable plan to pass the necessary bills and prevent a government shutdown by the end of September. Freedom Caucus conservatives are demanding even deeper spending cuts than McCarthy agreed to in a previous budget deal with Biden. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries accused Republicans of attempting to impose their far-right ideology on the American people and emphasized the need for a bipartisan solution.
The Senate, controlled narrowly by Democrats, took a significant step towards finalizing a package of spending bills with a bipartisan vote of 91-7. This sets up a showdown with the Republican-led House. McCarthy advised lawmakers to go home for the weekend, as they are not in session on Friday due to the Jewish holiday, but to be prepared to work next week until the job is done.
Despite the challenges he faces, McCarthy remains determined to fight another day. He maintains a plan but acknowledges that it may not unfold as intended. Exasperated by the demands of conservatives, McCarthy humorously commented on his circumstances as he left the Capitol building.
The embattled speaker now awaits the response of his colleagues as the fate of his leadership hangs in the balance.
Associated Press writers Kevin Freking and Stephen Groves contributed to this report.
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