Gaetz Files Motion to Vacate Against McCarthy, Speaker Says 'Bring It On'

By Richard Moorhead October 3, 2023 at 4:26am

One of the fiercest critics of Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy is eyeing his political downfall.

Rep. Matt Gaetz filed a motion to vacate the Speaker’s position in the House of Representatives on Monday, according to The Associated Press.

Today I’m filing a motion to vacate against @SpeakerMcCarthy. pic.twitter.com/voGdX1Ky67

— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) October 2, 2023

The bid sets up a vote in which McCarthy’s leadership will hang in the balance of a simple majority of the House.

As The Wall Street Journal reported Monday, the next step is for Gaetz to request a vote on the resolution as a “privileged motion,” requiring a vote within two legislative days. However, such a vote could be delayed by other parliamentary tactics, such as a motion to table the issue or refer it to a committee, the Journal reported.

If the delaying tactics did not work, the vote on McCarthy’s leadership would come down to House Democrats, who could either vote to oust him, vote to keep him, or simply vote “present,” which would benefit McCarthy by reducing the number of votes he would need to have a majority of the House supporting him.

In a Sunday interview with “Face the Nation,” McCarthy had predicted that he would outlast Gaetz’s challenge to his leadership.

“Let’s get over with it,” he said.

“I’ll survive,” House @SpeakerMcCarthy says after Rep. Matt Gaetz said Sunday that he will introduce a motion to vacate McCarthy from his seat this week.

“Bring it on. Let’s get over with it.” pic.twitter.com/SnCVIHTN4f

— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) October 1, 2023

As part of the deal to win the speaker post in January, McCarthy agreed to allow a single member of the House to file a motion to vacate, according to The New York Times.

The Republican leader offered the concession in a bid to navigate a hotly contested battle within his own party over his ascent.

The rarely used procedural tool has never been successfully used to remove a speaker of the House from office in congressional history.

Do you agree with Gaetz?

Members of the House have only utilized it only twice since 1900, according to Ballotpedia, most recently in 2015 against then-House Speaker John Boehner, the Ohio Republican.

Boehner stepped down before an actual vote on the motion took place, a Washington Post report noted Monday.

The tactic has spurred backlash against Gaetz from members of the House Republican caucus who support McCarthy.

Some Republicans are considering expelling Gaetz from the House in response to his defiance of McCarthy, according to Fox News.

House Republican members seek to expel Matt Gaetz.https://t.co/T2YhT9TFDx

— Newt Gingrich (@newtgingrich) October 2, 2023

The brash Florida Republican has claimed that the outcome of the vote could depend on House Democrats’ willingness to vote in favor of McCarthy, according to NBC News.

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