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More chaos is expected in the U.S. Congress on Tuesday as the House votes on whether to remove Speaker Kevin McCarthy, exposing deepening divisions within the Republican Party and polarization in Washington.
McCarthy, a Republican who announced a House vote on his future in response to a challenge from his party’s hard right, was furious after striking a deal with Democrats to avert a weekend government shutdown.
Matt Gaetz, a firebrand Republican congressman from Florida, introduced a resolution to oust McCarthy late Monday night by proposing a resolution “to declare the position of Speaker of the House vacant.” This is only the third time in U.S. history that lawmakers have attempted to remove a speaker using a procedural tool called a “motion to withdraw.”
The threat to McCarthy’s position as speaker is the latest sign of deepening divisions in Congress, where hardline Republican lawmakers last week pushed the U.S. government to the brink of a government shutdown in an attempt to cut federal spending, including aid to the war in Ukraine.
McCarthy told reporters Tuesday morning that he would introduce the motion that afternoon, setting the stage for a high-stakes showdown. If enough Republicans support Gaetz’s efforts to oust the speaker, McCarthy could be forced to rely on Democratic votes to stay in power.
McCarthy, who was elected speaker in the 15th round of voting in January this year, remained optimistic after a closed-door meeting with Republican congressmen.
“If I counted the number of times someone tried to knock me down, I would be gone,” the California Republican said.
But with Republicans narrowly controlling the lower house of Congress, McCarthy faces an uphill battle. If he is to retain the speakership, he can only afford to lose a handful of Republican votes — unless a sufficient number of Democrats come to his defense.
It’s unclear whether any Democrats will cross party lines to bolster McCarthy’s support. Many Democrats are publicly wary of helping a spokesman who faces the impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden over his son Hunter Biden’s business dealings.
But other Democrats have been reluctant to hand political victory to Gates, a controversial House Republican and staunch supporter of former President Trump who has few allies on Capitol Hill.
Gaetz has long been a thorn in the side of McCarthy’s leadership. He was the Speaker’s chief tormentor as early as January, and he feuded with McCarthy multiple times in the months since.
The Florida congressman is among Republicans angry that McCarthy struck a deal with Democrats over the weekend. The deal triggered a bipartisan vote to keep government funding at current funding levels until mid-November, at a time when many Republicans are pushing for budget cuts.
McCarthy defended the deal, telling reporters on Capitol Hill on Tuesday morning: “Keeping the government open and paying for our troops is the right decision. I stand by that decision. At the end of the day, if I have to lose my job because of this, so be it.” Bar.”
McCarthy said Gaetz is engaged in a personal vendetta stemming from a congressional ethics investigation into allegations the Florida congressman was involved in sex trafficking. The U.S. Department of Justice concluded its investigation into Gaetz earlier this year without charging him. Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing.
“Matt Gaetz planned to do this from the beginning,” a spokesman told CNBC on Tuesday morning. “He’s going through some personal things in his life and he’s facing challenges, which is good.”
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