Rep. Matt Gaetz, of Florida, says he is gearing up to oust Kevin McCarthy as House Speaker, citing a breach of agreements made with House conservatives. Gaetz, a Florida Republican, voiced his intent during an interview on “State of the Union,” emphasizing the need for new, trustworthy leadership.
Expressing his dissatisfaction with McCarthy’s collaboration with Democrats to avert a government shutdown, Gaetz accused the House Speaker of repeatedly violating previous agreements. Gaetz said he plans to file a motion to vacate against McCarthy, stating, “I think we need to rip off the Band-Aid. I think we need to move on with new leadership that will be trustworthy.”
“Speaker McCarthy made an agreement with House conservatives in January and since then he’s been in brazen, repeated material breach of that agreement,” Gaetz told Jake Tapper on “State of the Union” on Sunday. “This agreement that he made with Democrats to really blow past a lot of the spending guardrails we set up is a last straw.”
“I do intend to file a motion to vacate against Speaker McCarthy this week,” Gaetz continued. I think we need to rip off the Band-Aid. I think we need to move on with new leadership that will be trustworthy.”
Don't Miss
JUST IN: Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) tells @jaketapper that he will move to oust House Speaker Kevin McCarthy this week. @CNNSotu #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/5gpuum4eGy
— CNN (@CNN) October 1, 2023
McCarthy responded to Gaetz’s move, dismissing it as a personal matter. He urged everyone to move past it and focus on governing.
“This is personal with Matt,” McCarthy said on CBS. “Let’s get over it. Let’s start governing.”
Gaetz’s attempt to oust McCarthy follows the latter’s successful passage of a bill, with bipartisan support, to fund the government until November 17 at existing levels, thereby avoiding a shutdown.
In January, as part of his negotiations for the speaker position, McCarthy reinstated the ability for a single member to initiate a motion to oust the speaker, leading to a House floor vote. Gaetz, previously committed to regular attempts to oust McCarthy, reiterated his determination to do so, even suggesting starting each day in Congress with such a motion.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez expressed support for Gaetz’s move, stating that she would “absolutely” vote to oust McCarthy. She criticized McCarthy as a weak speaker who has lost control of his caucus and accused him of bringing the country to the brink by delaying government funding decisions until the last minute. Ocasio-Cortez also highlighted the temporary nature of the extension, predicting a return to a similar situation in November.
“I think Kevin McCarthy is a very weak speaker,” she told Tapper on Sunday. “He clearly has lost control of his caucus. He has brought the United States and millions of Americans to the brink, waiting until the final hour to keep the government open, and even then, only issuing a 45-day extension, so we’re going to be right back in this place in November.”
