Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) is threatening to force a vote to remove House Speaker Kevin McCarthy from his position.
Gaetz, on the House floor Tuesday night, repeatedly expressed his intention to evict McCarthy if he does not comply with conservative demands related to spending and legislation, The Hill reported.
He alleges the House has been poorly led under McCarthy and is ready to take action.
“And the one thing I agree with my Democrat colleagues on is that for the last eight months, this House has been poorly led,” said Gaetz about McCarthy’s leadership.
McCarthy had previously faced threats from his conservative colleagues to be removed if he were to deal with the Democrats.
“And we own that and we have to do something about it and you know what? My Democratic colleagues will have an opportunity to do something about that too, and we will see if they bail out our failed Speaker.”
The representative from Florida emphasized the country’s financial crisis, stating the U.S. is $33 trillion in debt and facing $2 trillion annual deficits.
The Florida Republican insisted that he is committed to carrying out the threat, although he has not yet introduced a formal motion to initiate the process.
McCarthy, in response to Gaetz’s threats, said, “People have got to get over personal differences. I’m focused on America.”
He also implied that Gaetz’s comments didn’t bother him.
McCarthy became Speaker of the House 15 days after the 118th Congress was elected. Gaetz didn’t support him to be the next Speak to succeed former Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Gaetz, along with other hard-line House Republicans, has vowed to oppose a short-term funding bill, known as a continuing resolution (CR), that would keep the government open past the Sept. 30 deadline.
Despite this, House Republicans managed to advance four full-year spending bills in a 216-212 vote on Tuesday night, granting McCarthy a minor victory. However, the advancement of these bills does not prevent a potential shutdown.
Meanwhile, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md) had earlier warned that the looming shutdown could potentially threaten the political future of key advocates like Gaetz and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), if they continue to oppose the spending bills.
McCarthy is facing a challenge whether to satisfy his conservative colleagues that would shutdown the government or to deal with the Democrats that would oust him from the speakership.
Produced in association with Benzinga
