House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is set to face his biggest challenge yet to his leadership position, and it could come down to his Democratic colleagues to determine his fate — and they say they aren’t interested in saving him.
Lawmakers will vote Tuesday afternoon on a motion to table an effort by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) to vacate McCarthy’s speakership, which the Florida Republican announced the night before. Gaetz made the motion to vacate after accusing McCarthy of making a "back deal" with Democrats to pass a continuing resolution over the weekend to fund the government temporarily, which he says is in direct violation of the speakership agreement brokered in January.
DEMOCRATS HAVE A CHOICE TO MAKE ON MCCARTHY'S SPEAKERSHIP TOO
Because Republicans have a slim majority in the House, McCarthy can only afford to lose five GOP votes if all Democrats vote against him. At least five Republicans have said they plan to vote to remove McCarthy, including Reps. Gaetz, Tim Burchett (R-TN), Eli Crane (R-AZ), Bob Good (R-VA), and Andy Biggs (R-AZ).
Other members, such as Victoria Spartz (R-IN) and Wes Hunt (R-TX), have also indicated they are open to the idea.
As a result, McCarthy’s fate could come down to Democrats — and party members say they aren’t interested in helping Republicans sort out their intraparty tensions.
“We’re not here to keep Kevin McCarthy in power. This is their problem,” Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) said.
Democrats held a conference meeting on Tuesday morning to discuss how they will vote on the motion, with lawmakers indicating they would vote as a unified caucus. McGovern said he “hopes” all Democrats will vote against the motion to table, which would bring the motion to vacate to the floor immediately and determine McCarthy’s status.
Members said they would follow the guidance of Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) but wouldn’t confirm whether that meant Democrats would vote to sink McCarthy.
“We encourage our Republican colleagues who claim to be more traditional to break from the extremists in the chaos,” Jeffries said. “We are ready, willing, and able to work together with our Republican colleagues, but it is on them to join us to move the Congress and the country forward.”
McCarthy told reporters he wouldn’t cut a deal with Democrats in an effort to save his speakership, which several lawmakers say wouldn’t have made a difference anyway.
“I think the other problem for all of us is that even if Kevin McCarthy were to say he would do something, there's not a whole lot of trust that he'll live up to whatever he committed to,” Rep. Dan Kildee (D-MI) said.
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If the motion to table fails, the House will vote on the motion to vacate. Only a simple majority is needed to oust McCarthy, which seems increasingly likely if all Democrats vote against him.
“We are not in any way voting to save Speaker McCarthy,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-NY) said.