Oct. 3 (UPI) — Democrats will vote in favor of removing Rep. Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the House, according to a letter from minority leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.
McCarthy, R-Calif., plans to call for a vote Tuesday on whether he should be removed from the leadership post. The resolution to remove McCarthy needs a simple majority to pass.
Before the vote on removing McCarthy, Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., motioned to table the issue. The motion to table failed with at least 11 Republicans voting against it. Democrats voted in unison against tabling.
Lawmakers opposed and in favor of unseating McCarthy were allowed to state their cases before the vote over removal. Cole said the House is divided into three groups: Republicans who are proud of the speaker, a small group that wants to “plunge the House into chaos” and Democrats.
Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said McCarthy has been “rock solid” on the bills that Republicans needed to pass.
“I don’t think voting against Kevin McCarthy is chaos,” Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla, said. “I think $33 trillion in debt is chaos.”
Gaetz introduced the motion to remove McCarthy as speaker on Monday. The motion was made after the House passed a resolution to avert a government shutdown for at least 45 days.
McCarthy later posted a short response to the motion on X: “Bring it on.”
Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., is one of the 11 Republicans who voted against tabling Gaetz’s motion. He said he will vote in favor of removing McCarthy, citing the speaker relying on votes from Democrats to pass legislation.
“We need a speaker who will fight for something, anything, besides just staying or becoming speaker,” Good said.
Democratic and Republican caucuses met behind closed doors Tuesday to weigh the consequences of unseating the California Republican. Democrats met for more than two hours, showing reluctance to save McCarthy’s position, The New York Times reported.
Jeffries wrote that House Democrats have been “willing to find common ground,” to move forward and govern, but have been met with resistance from “extreme” Republicans.
“It is now the responsibility of the GOP members to end the House Republican civil war,” Jeffries said in a statement posted to X, formerly known as Twitter. “Given their unwillingness to break from MAGA extremism in an authentic and comprehensive manner, House Democratic leadership will vote yes on the pending Republican Motion to Vacate the Chair.”
“Nobody trusts Kevin McCarthy and why should they?” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash.
Appearing on CNBC’s Squawk Box on Tuesday, McCarthy said Gaetz’s motion is in retaliation for an ethics complaint against him that McCarthy denies filing.
“I have nothing to do with it. He wants me to try to wipe that away,” McCarthy said. “And you know what? If some way I lose my job because I uphold the law [and the] continuity of government, so be it.”
McCarthy’s allies in the GOP have similarly stated that Gaetz is seeking “personal and political gain.”
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., is among several reportedly considering a move to table the motion to vacate the speaker position.
McCarthy would likely need at least some votes from Democrats to hold onto the speakership, saying Monday that if Democrats and five Republicans vote to remove him he will likely lose. The numbers are fluid due to absences. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is among the notable absences by Democrats as she remains in California mourning the death of Rep. Dianne Feinstein, CNN reports.
In January, the House passed a new rule to allow just one member to bring forward a motion to vacate the speakership. The new House rules were passed as McCarthy jostled to earn votes from members of his party to ascend to the role of Speaker of the House.
