His comments come after McCarthy relied on Democratic votes to pass a stopgap funding measure to avert a federal government shutdown Saturday night — a move that hardline conservatives had threatened could cost him his job.
“I do intend to file a motion to vacate against Speaker McCarthy this week. I think we need to rip off the band aid. I think we need to move on with new leadership that can be trustworthy,” Gaetz said on CNN’s "State of the Union."
“Look, the one thing everybody has in common is that nobody trusts Kevin McCarthy," the Florida lawmaker continued. "He lied to Biden, he lied to House conservatives. He had appropriators marking to a different number altogether. And the reason we were backed up against the shutdown politics is not a bug of the system. It’s a feature."
38 min ago
Here's why McCarthy decided to take on members of his own party and prevent a shutdown
From CNN's Jeremy Herb, Manu Raju, Melanie Zanona, Lauren Fox and Annie Grayer
Kevin McCarthy walks to the House Chamber before a vote on Capitol Hill on Saturday. Tom Brenner/The Washington Post/Getty Images
Speaker Kevin McCarthy didn’t know whether the House could avoid a government shutdown when he met with his divided Republican conference on Saturday morning.
After GOP leaders prepared McCarthy’s conference for an indefinite shutdown, his allies grew uneasy. Rep. Bryan Steil took to the mic, comparing a shutdown to a bike ride down a treacherous Bolivian mountain known as “Death Road,” according to sources in the room.
If the brakes on your bike fail, Steil said, you are trained to turn into the mountain immediately, because the farther down the mountain you go, the worse the crash will be. The longer you go into a shutdown as a conservative, the Wisconsin Republican argued, the worse conservatives’ options will be.
Then, one by one, vulnerable New York Republicans – Reps. Mike Lawler, Marc Molinaro and Nick LaLota – spoke in support of a short-term funding bill, warning of the political blowback of a shutdown and calling on their colleagues to keep the government open.
The speaker was ready to move. Turning to his conference, McCarthy asked, “Do we want to jam the Senate?” to loud cheers from his allies. McCarthy turned to an aide and asked how quickly they could go to the floor – a “clean” stopgap bill had already been filed late Friday night.
Fifteen minutes, the aide responded.
With that, McCarthy took the only option on the table to avoid a government shutdown, relying on Democratic votes to pass a continuing resolution Saturday to keep the government funded until mid-November.
But in so doing, McCarthy opened up a fight with the right wing of his conference, which had warned him for weeks that taking this step could mean the end of his speakership.
“If Speaker McCarthy relies on Democrats to pass a continuing resolution, I would call the Capitol moving truck to his office pretty soon because my expectation would be he’d be out of the Speaker’s office quite promptly,” Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz told CNN earlier this week.
What we know: The earliest McCarthy’s critics could start the process to oust him is Monday, when the House will be back in session.
For House Democrats, it took a little bit of time Saturday – along with the pulling of a fire alarm in a House office building – but they ultimately chose to join Republicans to pass the stopgap funding measure.
That doesn’t mean, of course, that they intend to help McCarthy keep his job as speaker. House Democratic leaders said in a statement Saturday evening they expect McCarthy to allow for a vote on a bill on supporting Ukraine.
But McCarthy’s allies are confident that an overwhelming number of House Republicans support the speaker and that Democrats won’t help Gaetz throw the House into chaos – especially after McCarthy helped avert a shutdown, part of the speaker’s calculation in making such a move.
Bipartisan Senate leadership says they support a vote for more Ukraine funding "in the coming weeks"
From CNN's Morgan Rimmer
The Capitol Building is seen on Saturday. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Bipartisan members of Senate leadership on Saturday committed to a vote on further funding for Ukraine aid "in the coming weeks."
"In the coming weeks, we expect the Senate will work to ensure the U.S. government continues to provide critical and sustained security and economic support for Ukraine," bipartisan leadership said in a joint statement.
“We support Ukraine’s efforts to defend its sovereignty against (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s brazen aggression, and we join a strong bipartisan majority of our colleagues in this essential work. With the eyes of our partners, allies, and adversaries upon us, we keenly understand the importance of American leadership and are committed to strengthening it from Europe to the Indo-Pacific,” according to the statement.
Some background: On Saturday, Democratic Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet delayed the Senate's consideration of the short-term spending bill over concerns about the lack of funding in it. The bill eventually passed, with a final vote of 88 to 9.
Bennet told reporters the bipartisan statement was exactly what he had hoped to see when he objected on the stopgap bill to keep the government open due to its lack of Ukraine funding.
In a separate statement, Bennet addressed the need for Senate leadership to reaffirm support for Ukraine.
"I objected tonight to proceeding to the Continuing Resolution because it failed to provide additional money for Ukraine. Senate Leadership needed to reaffirm our bipartisan commitment to sustain funding for Ukraine. The Senate Leadership has released such a statement, and, as a result, I voted to keep the government open," he said in the statement.
CNN's Haley Talbot contributed to this post.
56 min ago
These are the 9 Republican senators who voted against the stopgap funding bill
From CNN's Morgan Rimmer
The final vote in the US Senate to pass a stopgap bill to keep the government funded through November was 88 to 9.
Congress passed a short-term funding bill averting a government shutdown on Saturday. Here's what to know
From CNN staff
After a whirlwind day, a government shutdown was prevented after Congress passed a stopgap funding measure on Saturday night ahead of a midnight deadline.
President Joe Biden signed the bill late Saturday night.
Catch up on yesterday's events here:
How it came together: House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced the stopgap proposal Saturday morning, a move that came after weeks of infighting among House Republicans and a failed effort to pass a GOP stopgap bill in the chamber. The bill passed the House with an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote, and it then was sent to the Senate. The final vote was 88 to 9.
The bill will keep the government open through November 17 and includes natural disaster aid but not additional funding for Ukraine or border security.
Concerns over Ukraine funding: The stopgap bill originally included funding for Ukraine to help Kyiv fight the full-scale invasion from Russia, but the funds were dropped after some conservatives raised objections during negotiations.
Democratic Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet briefly held up the vote on the bill Saturday after he objected over concerns about the lack of funding in it. Bipartisan members of Senate leadership released a joint statement committing to vote on further funding for Ukraine aid "in the coming weeks."
House Democratic leadership said in a statement Saturday that they expect McCarthy to bring a separate Ukraine aid bill to vote when the House returns.
“We cannot under any circumstances allow American support for Ukraine to be interrupted,” Biden said in a statement Saturday night.
McCarthy's fate unknown: The decision by McCarthy to put a bill on the floor that would win support from Democrats could put his speakership at risk as hardline conservatives continue to threaten a vote to oust him from the top House leadership post.
McCarthy was defiant after the vote, daring his detractors to try to push him out as he argued he did what was needed to govern effectively.
“If somebody wants to make a motion against me, bring it,” McCarthy told CNN’s Manu Raju at a news conference. “There has to be an adult in the room. I am going to govern with what’s best for this country.”
Hardliners are expected to force a vote to remove McCarthy as speaker, just “not yet,” according to a Republican lawmaker.
Fire alarm incident: New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman pulled a fire alarm in a House office building on Saturday morning shortly before the House was scheduled to vote on the funding bill, which he said was an accident.
“I was trying to get to a door. I thought the alarm would open the door, and I pulled the fire alarm to open the door by accident,” he told reporters.
“I was just trying to get to my vote, and the door that’s usually open wasn’t open, it was closed,” Bowman added.
House Administration Committee Chair Bryan Steil, who first revealed the incident, said "an investigation into why it was pulled is underway."
McCarthy said the House ethics committee should look into it, while GOP Rep. Lisa McClain told CNN that she was circulating a resolution to censure Bowman.
Congress passed a stopgap funding bill Saturday to avert a government shutdown ahead of a midnight deadline. President Joe Biden signed it late Saturday night, keeping the government open through November 17.
The Senate approved the measure after the House abruptly reversed course earlier in the day and passed a bipartisan bill.
The stopgap bill includes natural disaster aid but not additional funding for Ukraine. Bipartisan members of Senate leadership released a joint statement committing to vote on further funding for Ukraine aid "in the coming weeks."
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Rep. Matt Gaetz. AP/Getty Images
His comments come after McCarthy relied on Democratic votes to pass a stopgap funding measure to avert a federal government shutdown Saturday night — a move that hardline conservatives had threatened could cost him his job.
“I do intend to file a motion to vacate against Speaker McCarthy this week. I think we need to rip off the band aid. I think we need to move on with new leadership that can be trustworthy,” Gaetz said on CNN’s "State of the Union."
“Look, the one thing everybody has in common is that nobody trusts Kevin McCarthy," the Florida lawmaker continued. "He lied to Biden, he lied to House conservatives. He had appropriators marking to a different number altogether. And the reason we were backed up against the shutdown politics is not a bug of the system. It’s a feature."
Kevin McCarthy walks to the House Chamber before a vote on Capitol Hill on Saturday. Tom Brenner/The Washington Post/Getty Images
Speaker Kevin McCarthy didn’t know whether the House could avoid a government shutdown when he met with his divided Republican conference on Saturday morning.
After GOP leaders prepared McCarthy’s conference for an indefinite shutdown, his allies grew uneasy. Rep. Bryan Steil took to the mic, comparing a shutdown to a bike ride down a treacherous Bolivian mountain known as “Death Road,” according to sources in the room.
If the brakes on your bike fail, Steil said, you are trained to turn into the mountain immediately, because the farther down the mountain you go, the worse the crash will be. The longer you go into a shutdown as a conservative, the Wisconsin Republican argued, the worse conservatives’ options will be.
Then, one by one, vulnerable New York Republicans – Reps. Mike Lawler, Marc Molinaro and Nick LaLota – spoke in support of a short-term funding bill, warning of the political blowback of a shutdown and calling on their colleagues to keep the government open.
The speaker was ready to move. Turning to his conference, McCarthy asked, “Do we want to jam the Senate?” to loud cheers from his allies. McCarthy turned to an aide and asked how quickly they could go to the floor – a “clean” stopgap bill had already been filed late Friday night.
Fifteen minutes, the aide responded.
With that, McCarthy took the only option on the table to avoid a government shutdown, relying on Democratic votes to pass a continuing resolution Saturday to keep the government funded until mid-November.
But in so doing, McCarthy opened up a fight with the right wing of his conference, which had warned him for weeks that taking this step could mean the end of his speakership.
“If Speaker McCarthy relies on Democrats to pass a continuing resolution, I would call the Capitol moving truck to his office pretty soon because my expectation would be he’d be out of the Speaker’s office quite promptly,” Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz told CNN earlier this week.
What we know: The earliest McCarthy’s critics could start the process to oust him is Monday, when the House will be back in session.
For House Democrats, it took a little bit of time Saturday – along with the pulling of a fire alarm in a House office building – but they ultimately chose to join Republicans to pass the stopgap funding measure.
That doesn’t mean, of course, that they intend to help McCarthy keep his job as speaker. House Democratic leaders said in a statement Saturday evening they expect McCarthy to allow for a vote on a bill on supporting Ukraine.
But McCarthy’s allies are confident that an overwhelming number of House Republicans support the speaker and that Democrats won’t help Gaetz throw the House into chaos – especially after McCarthy helped avert a shutdown, part of the speaker’s calculation in making such a move.
The Capitol Building is seen on Saturday. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Bipartisan members of Senate leadership on Saturday committed to a vote on further funding for Ukraine aid "in the coming weeks."
"In the coming weeks, we expect the Senate will work to ensure the U.S. government continues to provide critical and sustained security and economic support for Ukraine," bipartisan leadership said in a joint statement.
“We support Ukraine’s efforts to defend its sovereignty against (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s brazen aggression, and we join a strong bipartisan majority of our colleagues in this essential work. With the eyes of our partners, allies, and adversaries upon us, we keenly understand the importance of American leadership and are committed to strengthening it from Europe to the Indo-Pacific,” according to the statement.
Some background: On Saturday, Democratic Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet delayed the Senate's consideration of the short-term spending bill over concerns about the lack of funding in it. The bill eventually passed, with a final vote of 88 to 9.
Bennet told reporters the bipartisan statement was exactly what he had hoped to see when he objected on the stopgap bill to keep the government open due to its lack of Ukraine funding.
In a separate statement, Bennet addressed the need for Senate leadership to reaffirm support for Ukraine.
"I objected tonight to proceeding to the Continuing Resolution because it failed to provide additional money for Ukraine. Senate Leadership needed to reaffirm our bipartisan commitment to sustain funding for Ukraine. The Senate Leadership has released such a statement, and, as a result, I voted to keep the government open," he said in the statement.
CNN's Haley Talbot contributed to this post.
The final vote in the US Senate to pass a stopgap bill to keep the government funded through November was 88 to 9.
After a whirlwind day, a government shutdown was prevented after Congress passed a stopgap funding measure on Saturday night ahead of a midnight deadline.
President Joe Biden signed the bill late Saturday night.
Catch up on yesterday's events here:
How it came together: House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced the stopgap proposal Saturday morning, a move that came after weeks of infighting among House Republicans and a failed effort to pass a GOP stopgap bill in the chamber. The bill passed the House with an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote, and it then was sent to the Senate. The final vote was 88 to 9.
The bill will keep the government open through November 17 and includes natural disaster aid but not additional funding for Ukraine or border security.
Concerns over Ukraine funding: The stopgap bill originally included funding for Ukraine to help Kyiv fight the full-scale invasion from Russia, but the funds were dropped after some conservatives raised objections during negotiations.
Democratic Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet briefly held up the vote on the bill Saturday after he objected over concerns about the lack of funding in it. Bipartisan members of Senate leadership released a joint statement committing to vote on further funding for Ukraine aid "in the coming weeks."
House Democratic leadership said in a statement Saturday that they expect McCarthy to bring a separate Ukraine aid bill to vote when the House returns.
“We cannot under any circumstances allow American support for Ukraine to be interrupted,” Biden said in a statement Saturday night.
McCarthy's fate unknown: The decision by McCarthy to put a bill on the floor that would win support from Democrats could put his speakership at risk as hardline conservatives continue to threaten a vote to oust him from the top House leadership post.
McCarthy was defiant after the vote, daring his detractors to try to push him out as he argued he did what was needed to govern effectively.
“If somebody wants to make a motion against me, bring it,” McCarthy told CNN’s Manu Raju at a news conference. “There has to be an adult in the room. I am going to govern with what’s best for this country.”
Hardliners are expected to force a vote to remove McCarthy as speaker, just “not yet,” according to a Republican lawmaker.
Fire alarm incident: New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman pulled a fire alarm in a House office building on Saturday morning shortly before the House was scheduled to vote on the funding bill, which he said was an accident.
“I was trying to get to a door. I thought the alarm would open the door, and I pulled the fire alarm to open the door by accident,” he told reporters.
“I was just trying to get to my vote, and the door that’s usually open wasn’t open, it was closed,” Bowman added.
House Administration Committee Chair Bryan Steil, who first revealed the incident, said "an investigation into why it was pulled is underway."
McCarthy said the House ethics committee should look into it, while GOP Rep. Lisa McClain told CNN that she was circulating a resolution to censure Bowman.
