Rep. Matt Gaetz threatened Tuesday to take steps to remove House Speaker Kevin McCarthy if he doesn’t follow through on his commitments to GOP hardliners.
Gaetz (R-Fla.) vowed to move forward with the motion to vacate the chair if McCarthy (R-Calif.) allows a stopgap measure or continuing resolution to receive a floor vote.
“There are no continuing resolutions, no individual spending bills, no votes on balanced budgets and term limits,” Gaetz warned.
“Subpoenas for Hunter Biden and members of the Biden family. Impeach Joe Biden. Do these things or face a motion to vacate the chair.”
McCarthy has indicated he supports a continuing resolution to avoid a government shutdown before the end of the month.
Every fiscal year, Congress has to fund the government, or it will shut down. During the fight over the debt ceiling, both parties agreed to fund the government through 12 appropriations bills instead of one huge omnibus bill.
But Congress is still far from achieving it before the end of the fiscal year. This is why many lawmakers have favored a continuing resolution to keep the government open and buy more time.
Matt Gaetz has long been a nuisance to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Even Gaetz acknowledged that reality in his speech.
“There is no way to pass every appropriations bill now,” Gaetz admitted. “And it’s not like we didn’t know when September 30 was going to appear on the calendar.”
If Congress does not act by September 30, either through the 12 appropriations bills or a continuing resolution, the government will shut down.
Complicating passage of appropriations bills is a major disagreement between the House and Senate over spending levels.
Kevin McCarthy is in a bind over the government shutdown battle. Hardline Republicans want deeper spending cuts, but Democrats oppose further concessions. AFP via Getty Images
Although both chambers agreed to maximum spending levels in the Fiscal Responsibility Act that ended the debt ceiling impasse, McCarthy has bowed to pressure from hardline conservatives and tasked his handlers with drafting higher bills. reduced.
McCarthy’s right flank, namely the House Freedom Caucus, has called for even deeper spending cuts.
A motion to override it only needs one vote to get started and would only need a few Republicans to join with Democrats to overthrow it, given the GOP’s slim majority in the chamber, where Republicans control 222 seats to 212.
Kevin McCarthy faces a brutal month in the House.AFP via Getty Images
On Monday, McCarthy downplayed the threat from Gaetz, who mulled the possibility of teaming up with Democrats to oust him from the presidency.
“Look, Matt is Matt,” McCarthy said.
Gaetz, who is under an ethics investigation for which his allies have blamed McCarthy, voted “Present” for McCarthy earlier this year to help end his humiliation by the gavel, which garnered a historically unprecedented 15 votes.
Chairman McCarthy Responds to Rep. Gaetz Regarding His Ongoing House Ethics Investigation
“The only thing I make very clear is that he can threaten all he wants, I will not bring the president into the independent ethics committee to influence in any way,” McCarthy said.
—Haley Talbot (@haleytalbotcnn) September 12, 2023
To break the deadlock and reclaim the presidency, McCarthy struck a multitude of deals with Republican Party hardliners. Gaetz announced it on Tuesday.
“Mr. Speaker, you are reneging on the agreement that allowed you to take this office. The path forward for the House of Representatives is to bring you into full and immediate compliance or remove you,” Gaetz added.
Earlier on Tuesday, McCarthy took a step toward one of Gaetz’s demands and announced that he was leading an impeachment inquiry into President Biden.
The speaker announced an impeachment inquiry into President Biden that same Tuesday.
Congressional Republicans have long scrutinized the Biden family, but enough lawmakers publicly opposed an impeachment inquiry to stop it.
In doing so, McCarthy flouted his earlier public commitment that “if we move forward with an impeachment inquiry, it would come through a vote in the House of People and not through a statement from a single person.”
The House reconvened Tuesday after a six-week recess and has 11 days on its legislative calendar before the end of the month.
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