McCarthy disregards chair’s potential abandonment as clock ticks on 45-day funding bill.
House Speaker McCarthy Unfazed by Threat to Remove Him from Chair
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) remains undeterred by the possibility of a motion to vacate the chair, which has been threatened by fellow Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.).
Just two days after successfully passing a 45-day continuing resolution to prevent a government shutdown, McCarthy made it clear that his focus is on the appropriations process rather than engaging in political games.
“The government stayed open. We continue to do our work,” McCarthy confidently told reporters on October 2.
“We’re gonna bring up two more appropriation bills this week. We’ve already gotten 74 percent of the discretionary spending appropriated. We’re going to finish that out like we’re supposed to do,” McCarthy stated confidently.
“Our focus is on eliminating wasteful spending, eradicating wokeism, and most importantly, securing our border,” he added.
The threat to remove McCarthy from the Speaker position is being driven by Rep. Matt Gaetz, who has repeatedly hinted at it but has yet to take action.
Meanwhile, the House has the task of passing eight more appropriations bills and reconciling them with the Senate within the next seven weeks.
The January Agreement
According to an agreement apparently made between McCarthy and Republican fiscal hawks in the House, any member of Congress can initiate a vote to vacate the chair.
McCarthy’s election as Speaker in January was a hard-fought battle, lasting four days and involving a record-breaking 15 ballots.
While Gaetz and others claim that McCarthy has violated the terms of their agreement, they have failed to specify exactly what those terms are.
However, one of the alleged violations is McCarthy’s failure to adhere to the so-called Hastert Rule, which dictates that a Republican speaker should not seek Democratic support for a bill that a majority of House Republicans oppose.
Despite a majority of Republicans voting against it, a funding bill for Ukraine passed the House on September 28.
“I do intend to file a motion to vacate against Speaker McCarthy. This week, I think we need to rip off the band-aid, I think we need to move on with new leadership that can be trustworthy,” Gaetz declared during an MSNBC interview on October 1.
The following day, Gaetz took to the House floor to criticize McCarthy for allegedly making a side deal with President Joe Biden regarding funding for the war in Ukraine, a deal that Gaetz strongly opposes.
Gaetz claimed that during negotiations over the continuing resolution, McCarthy made “a side deal to bring Ukraine legislation to this floor with President Biden and House Democrats.”
When asked about this rumor, McCarthy responded wearily, “There’s no side deal, so I don’t know who’s bringing that up.”
McCarthy explained that he had been asked to provide assurances to Democrats that the continuing resolution would allow for the ongoing transfer of appropriated funds, a common practice when extending government funding.
“I said, ‘If the continuing resolution doesn’t do that, we’ll fix that. It’s something we do all the time,'” McCarthy clarified.
House Dramatics
Gaetz’s calls for McCarthy’s removal have become increasingly fervent.
McCarthy and some other House Republicans view Gaetz’s actions as a personal vendetta against the Speaker.
“This is about the institution. This isn’t about politics,” McCarthy emphasized, highlighting the potential consequences of allowing one person’s personal issues or ethics complaints to disrupt House business.
“I’m focused on doing the work that needs to be done,” McCarthy concluded.
Gaetz has been under investigation by the House Ethics Committee since April for alleged sexual misconduct, illicit drug use, sharing inappropriate images or videos on the House floor, misusing state identification records, converting campaign funds for personal use, accepting a bribe, and receiving improper gratuities or impermissible gifts. Gaetz has denied all allegations.
When asked about the possibility of a vote to vacate the chair, Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) dismissed Gaetz and his efforts, stating, “And as far as I’m concerned, when you’re working with Democrats to try to vacate the Speaker, you’re a joke. This needs to come to an end.”
Reps. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), who have previously shown openness to considering a motion to vacate the chair, expressed their opposition to the idea during a radio interview with Sean Hannity on October 2.
Most Democrats have been cautious in their response to the possibility of further drama surrounding the Speakership.
Commenting on Gaetz’s recent remarks, Rep. Susan DelBene (D-Wash.), chair of the House’s New Democrat Coalition, called them unsurprising and reflective of the House Republican conference’s character.
“He’s been talking about this constantly throughout this Congress, so I guess that’s not surprising. It adds to the chaos and dysfunction we’ve seen from the Republican caucus,” DelBene remarked.
“Folks want to see us govern, and unfortunately, the Republican Party brings chaos, dysfunction, and dissent,” she added.
How has House Speaker Kevin McCarthy expressed his indifference towards the threat of being removed from his position as Speaker of the House?
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has expressed his indifference towards the threat of being removed from his position as Speaker of the House. Fellow Republican Representative Matt Gaetz has threatened to bring a motion to vacate the chair against McCarthy. Despite this, McCarthy remains focused on the appropriations process and is not interested in engaging in political games.
Just a couple of days after successfully passing a 45-day continuing resolution to prevent a government shutdown, McCarthy made it clear that his priority is the appropriations process rather than getting involved in political maneuvering. He confidently told reporters on October 2, “The government stayed open. We continue to do our work.”
McCarthy’s steadfast attitude is evident in his commitment to bringing up two more appropriations bills in the upcoming week. He emphasized that 74 percent of discretionary spending has already been appropriated and that they will continue to address the remaining funds as they are supposed to. McCarthy stated, “Our focus is on eliminating wasteful spending, eradicating wokeism, and most importantly, securing our border.”
The threat to remove McCarthy from his position as Speaker of the House is primarily driven by Representative Matt Gaetz. Gaetz has repeatedly hinted at the possibility of taking action but has yet to follow through. McCarthy remains undeterred by Gaetz’s threats and remains focused on his responsibilities as House Speaker.
In conclusion, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy remains unfazed by the potential motion to remove him from his position as Speaker of the House. McCarthy’s focus is on the appropriations process and addressing important issues such as wasteful spending and border security. Despite the threat from Representative Matt Gaetz, McCarthy is determined to fulfill his duties and continue the work of the House of Representatives.
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