House Speaker Kevin McCarthy sounded optimistic Tuesday about his chances of holding on to the gavel despite an attempt to unseat him by fellow Republican Matt Gaetz, while Democrats indicated they would not give McCarthy a lifeline to keep him in power.
“At the end of the day, if we expel a speaker who has 99% of his conference, who kept the government open, who paid the troops, I think we’re in a really bad place in terms of how we’re going to run Congress,” McCarthy (R-Calif.) told reporters before an afternoon vote on an override motion filed Monday night by Gaetz (R-Fla.).
While nothing is final until votes are cast, reports indicated that a handful of Republicans would join all House Democrats in backing Gaetz’s motion, meaning McCarthy would be the first president impeached via of parliamentary procedure and would begin what is likely to be a long round of voting to find a replacement.
“If five Republicans join the Democrats, I’m out,” McCarthy added, before predicting, “I’m sure I’ll hold on.”
Democrats emerged from a Tuesday morning meeting apparently united in their determination not to bail out the Californian, who liberal lawmakers said had already made too many concessions to far-right members of their conference.
“We encourage our Republican colleagues who say they are more traditional to break with the extremists, end the chaos, end the dysfunction, end the extremism,” Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) told reporters. ). “We are ready, willing and able to work together with our Republican colleagues, but it is up to them to join us in moving Congress and the country forward.”
“It was pretty evident that the Democratic caucus does not consider Kevin McCarthy to be a trusted leader,” caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) said after the meeting, summing up the feelings of many of his colleagues. .
🚨 BREAKING NEWS – @RepJeffries “definitely” called for a vote against any procedural motion to delay the override motion
And he said Democrats should vote to unseat McCarthy.
—Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) October 3, 2023
Even moderate Democrats like Rep. Jared Golden of Maine were turning their backs on McCarthy, with the New Englander saying he saw “no reason” to keep the Republican in the leadership role.
“Even if Kevin McCarthy said he would do something, there is not a lot of confidence that he will follow through with whatever he commits to,” added Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.). “Just given his history, it’s really hard to imagine taking what Kevin McCarthy says at face value.”
“Our job is not to elect Republican speakers,” said Congressional Progressive Caucus Leader Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash). he told Fox News. “It is to elect Democratic spokespersons.”
Kevin McCarthy acknowledged the bleak outlook, but he hoped to survive. SHAWN THEW/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
The actual vote on Gaetz’s motion will be preceded by a vote on a motion to introduce it, which would end the effort to unseat McCarthy if it succeeds.
If McCarthy is removed, all House business will come to a standstill until a new speaker is voted on. In January, it took him four days and 15 votes to win the gavel.
“There was a time when I was going to be a speaker and I couldn’t; You all wrote me off. “I’m the spokesperson…you guys were sure the government was going to shut down, you were sure the debt ceiling wasn’t going to happen,” McCarthy said Tuesday.
Hakeem Jeffries has played coy about whether Democrats will give Kevin McCarthy a lifeline.Getty Images
“But each and every time, if there was an obstacle, I see it as a challenge and we are going to solve it,” he added.
The president also ruled out making concessions to Democrats to guarantee his continuity in office last Tuesday afternoon.
“That doesn’t work,” McCarthy told reporters. “We are the majority. You don’t give up. Do you work with the other side? Yes, that’s what I’ve done.”
Matt Gaetz is pushing to unseat Kevin McCarthy following the spending patch that averted a government shutdown. REUTERSKevin McCarthy withstood an unprecedented 15 votes to take the gavel in January. REUTERS
“[Democrats] I haven’t asked for anything. “I’m not going to provide anything,” McCarthy told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Tuesday morning.
As the House grapples with the insurgent attempt to unseat McCarthy, a handful of Democrats are expected to leave Washington to attend the funeral of Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) later in the week.
In theory, that could give McCarthy more breathing room if he postpones a final vote on a motion until Wednesday night, the latest it can take place under House rules.
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