Gaetz Announces Intent to Remove McCarthy from Speaker Position; McCarthy Welcomes Challenge

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Representative Matt Gaetz stated on Sunday that he plans to initiate proceedings to dislodge House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a fellow Republican, from his leadership role this week. This comes after McCarthy garnered Democratic backing to pass a bill that forestalled a government shutdown. McCarthy’s retort to the threat was straightforward: “So be it. Bring it on. Let’s get over with it and let’s start governing.”

Gaetz, a well-known critic of McCarthy within the party, articulated in televised interviews that McCarthy had violated substantive agreements made with House Republicans when he initially ran for the speakership in January. In line with House rules, Gaetz announced his intention to file a “motion to vacate the chair.”

There is no historical precedent for a speaker being ousted through such an action. The process could be halted through procedural votes or catalyze a floor vote in the House to determine whether McCarthy should retain his position as Speaker.

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“We need to promptly transition to new, reliable leadership,” declared Gaetz.

The announcement follows a tumultuous week for Republicans, marked by near governmental closure and an inability for the party’s majority in the House to pass their own legislation to avert said closure. Critics within the GOP bemoaned the delay in addressing annual spending bills, arguing it lost the party leverage in Senate negotiations over spending and policy initiatives.

In an attempt to appease conservative factions within the party, McCarthy had proposed a short-term funding bill on Friday featuring severe agency budget cuts of nearly 30% and stringent border security measures. Nevertheless, the proposal was voted down by 21 Republicans, in addition to unanimous Democratic opposition.

Switching strategies on Saturday, McCarthy introduced legislation designed to win Democratic support. The bill maintains current funding levels through mid-November and includes $16 billion for disaster relief. Democrats seized upon the opportunity to keep the government operational, and the bill passed with wide bipartisan support.

Gaetz had previously warned that he would move to oust McCarthy should the Speaker collaborate with Democrats on spending matters, accusing him of exceeding previously agreed-upon spending limits.

Although McCarthy enjoys broad backing from House Republicans, the narrow GOP majority of 221-212 means he may require Democratic votes to stay in office. When queried on his level of Republican support, Gaetz stated that if McCarthy remains Speaker, it would essentially be at the behest of the Democratic party.

“The only path for Kevin McCarthy to remain Speaker by week’s end is through Democratic intervention,” affirmed Gaetz.

The Florida Congressman’s maneuvers have been met with disdain from several Republican colleagues. Representative Mike Lawler of New York referred to Gaetz’s actions as a “tirade of misguided judgment,” motivated by “personal and political objectives.”

Despite this internal division, McCarthy had faced difficulties securing sufficient support for his speakership earlier this year, requiring 15 voting rounds within his party to clinch the position.

House rules permit any lawmaker, regardless of party, to file a “motion to vacate the chair”—essentially an attempt to unseat the Speaker through a privileged resolution.

When McCarthy initially ran for Speaker in January, he had consented to allow a minimum of five Republicans to trigger a vote for his removal. Subsequent to facing criticism, he lowered that threshold to just one member, a long-standing tradition within the House.

The last time such a motion was filed was in 2015 by then-Representative Mark Meadows, who later served as President Donald Trump’s Chief of Staff. Subsequently, then-Speaker John Boehner announced his resignation two months later.

In concluding remarks, McCarthy displayed confidence that Gaetz’s attempts would be unsuccessful, stating, “Yes, I’ll survive.”

The remarks of both congressmen were broadcast across major network shows, with Gaetz appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union” and ABC’s “This Week,” while McCarthy was interviewed on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” Representative Lawler offered his comments on ABC.

Contributions to this report were made by Big Big News staff writer Farnoush Amiri.

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