Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy dared Florida Representative Matt Gaetz to file a motion to vacate his seat.
During a Monday appearance on ABC’s Face the Nation, McCarthy said Gaetz’s intention to file a motion to vacate the Speaker’s seat was “nothing new.”
“He’s tried to do that from the moment I ran for office,” McCarthy told host Margaret Brennan.
He said he would survive a potential motion to vacate and claimed contention from Gaetz was “personal.”
“Matt voted against the most conservative ability to protect our border. … He’s more interested in securing TV interviews than doing something,” McCarthy said of the Florida representative. “He wanted to push us into a shutdown, even threatening his own district with all the military people there who would not be paid, only because he wants to take this motion.”
“So be it,” McCarthy said. “Bring it on. Let’s get over with it, and let’s start governing.”
.@SpeakerMcCarthy on @mattgaetz threatening to oust him: "Bring it on." pic.twitter.com/byhqisPdaU
— Nicole Silverio (@NicoleMSilverio) October 1, 2023
“If he’s upset because he tried to push us in a shutdown, that I made sure government didn’t shut down, then let’s have that fight,” he added.
Discussions to vacate McCarthy’s seat have been raised in recent weeks after a potential government shutdown was averted when Congress passed a short-term funding bill late Saturday. The bill did not include funding for Ukraine, which has been a priority for Democrats and some Republicans in Congress.
Shortly after the bill’s approval, it was revealed McCarthy had made a secret deal with Democrats in the House to allocate future aid for Ukraine.
Gaetz, who has been an outspoken critic of McCarthy, said he will file a motion to vacate the Speaker’s seat sometime this week.
“Speaker McCarthy made an agreement with House conservatives in January,” Gaetz told CNN host Jake Tapper during a Monday appearance on State of the Union, referring to McCarthy’s historically contested Speaker vote. “Since then, he’s been in brazen, repeated, material breach of that agreement.”
The Florida representative said McCarthy’s agreement with House Democrats on the short-term government funding bill was the “last straw.”
“Then overnight I learned that Kevin McCarthy had a secret deal with Democrats on Ukraine,” Gaetz said.
.@mattgaetz: I'm done owning Kevin McCarthy. We made a deal at the end of January to allow him to assume the speakership, and I'm not owning him anymore because he doesn't tell the truth. So if Democrats want to own Kevin McCarthy by bailing him out, I can't stop him, but then… pic.twitter.com/r7HGq97pwf
— Nicole Silverio (@NicoleMSilverio) October 1, 2023
Gaetz said he had “enough” Republicans in support of McCarthy’s ousting, adding McCarthy would be “serving at the pleasure of Democrats” if he is still the Speaker of the House by next week.
The Florida representative said the only way McCarthy remains Speaker of the House is if Democrats in Congress “bail him out.”
“They probably will,” he added. “I actually think that when you believe in nothing, as Kevin McCarthy does, everything’s negotiable.”
“I will make no deal with Democrats and concede no terms to them,” Gaetz declared. “I actually think Democrats should vote against Speaker McCarthy for free. I don’t think I should have to deal with that.”
“If Democrats wanna own Kevin McCarthy by bailing him out, I can’t stop them,” he concluded. “But then, he’ll be their Speaker, not mine.”
Last month, a resolution declaring the office of Speaker of the House of Representatives to be vacated was reportedly seen circulating through the House. The alleged resolution, dated Sept. 15, appeared to be authored by Gaetz.
