One day after Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.) collaborated with Democrats to avoid a government shutdown, Representative Matt Gaetz (R., Fla.) said he plans to move to expel McCarthy from the speakership.
“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 said Sunday on CNN.
Gaetz’s threats come after McCarthy secured enough Democratic support to pass a short-term spending bill through the House on Saturday, narrowly avoiding a government shutdown. Although Gaetz and other GOP hardliners opposed the continuing resolution, the 45-day stopgap measure passed 335–91.
One of the House Freedom Caucus holdouts who fought against the Speaker’s efforts to pass a bipartisan spending bill, Gaetz accused McCarthy of lying in negotiations over the resolution.
“Look, the one thing everybody has in common is that nobody trusts Kevin McCarthy. He lied to Biden, he lied to House conservatives,” Gaetz said Sunday. “He had appropriators marking to a different number altogether. And the reason we were backed up against the shutdown politics is not a bug of the system. It’s a feature.”
The Florida representative currently faces expulsion threats of his own. Gaetz is under investigation right now by the House Ethics Committee, over allegations that he engaged in sexual misconduct, illicit drug use, and other misconduct. Republicans may move to oust Gaetz if he’s found guilty. One House GOP member said of Gaetz, that, “No one can stand with him at this point. A smart guy without morals.”
The Republican has reportedly approached many Democrats about ousting McCarthy, including a Democrat on the House Rules Committee, Jim McGovern (Mass.). Politico reported that Gaetz mentioned Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R., Minn.) and Rules Committee Chair Tom Cole (R., Okla.) as potential Speaker replacements. Gaetz said it was a “false” claim that he spoke to Democrats about challenging McCarthy.
“I think it’s clear that Matt Gaetz is truing to undermine the Republican majority and the speaker for his own personal and political purposes,” Mike Lawler (R., N.Y.) said of the claim. “And I think the fact that he would even entertain the idea of working with the squad and progressive Democrats to undermine the House majority speaks volumes.”
Republican hardliners wanted less aid for Ukraine and greater spending cuts in the package. They also opposed an omnibus spending bill, instead demanding individual bills to fund parts of government. Gaetz threatened McCarthy on September 12: “Do these things or face a motion to vacate the chair.”
McCarthy told his opponents on Saturday to, “Go ahead and try” to oust him. “You know what? If I have to risk my job for standing up for the American public, I will do that,” he said.