WASHINGTON — Defying his critics, a defiant Speaker Kevin McCarthy told Republicans in a private meeting that he would call for a vote Tuesday afternoon on Rep. Matt Getz’s resolution. meeting
“He’s going to stand on his record, and then we’re going to vote to keep him on his record,” said McCarthy’s ally, California Republican Rep. Darrell Issa said as he exited the closed-door crowd from the basement. Capital.
Under House rules, McCarthy had until Wednesday to veto the resolution, which Gets, a conservative Florida Republican and Donald Trump loyalist, filed Monday night. But McCarthy and his allies are quick to rip off the Band-Aid and take on the so-called movement to vacate, causing a major distraction in the Capitol.
“I like politics. I understand where people are,” McCarthy told reporters. But he added: “I think the institution of the House, at the end of the day, if you throw out a speaker with 99% of their conference, keep the government open and pay the troops, we’re there. A very bad place.”
Lawmakers said the Gates resolution will be considered by the full House in the first round of votes of the day beginning at 1:30 p.m.
But given how rarely the speakership is declared vacant — the last time was in 1910 when Speaker Joseph Cannon declared the chair vacant against him — it’s not clear how exactly that would happen.
Before the no-confidence vote, McCarthy’s ally is expected to “table” a motion or delay a vote to remove the speaker. Allies may also vote to refer the resolution to a committee. If any of those procedural tactics succeed, it stops any operations.
But if all 212 House Democrats banded together and voted against the five declared McCarthy opponents, they would achieve a simple majority that could defeat delay tactics and move the franchise to vote to oust McCarthy. The five Republicans who want to oust McCarthy are Getz, and Reps. Andy Biggs and Eli Crane of Arizona, Bob Good of Virginia and Tim Burchett of Tennessee.
Many senior Democrats have said they will not vote to bail McCarthy out of office. Several House Democrats walked out of Mom’s own caucus on Tuesday.
“We’re not saving Kevin McCarthy,” Progressive Caucus Chairwoman Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said as she left the crowd.
At the Democratic caucus, leadership played up McCarthy’s Sunday interview on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” where Democrats said they wanted to shut down the government during last week’s impasse, Connolly recounted. Many ranking Democrats were outraged by his comments.
Democrats asked for a variety of ideas about what to do, but “nobody came to Kevin McCarthy’s defense,” said Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass.
Neal, like others, said Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries was deferring to the DNY. “I’m going to listen to what the leader has to say and rally around him,” Neal said.
Democrats, however, say they will not save McCarthy under any circumstances.
“I will vote to remove Kevin McCarthy as Speaker. I will not be an enforcer,” said Rep. Jerry Connolly, D-Va. “To allow him to remain in office is, in my view, completely against the interests of democracy and the interests of the country.”
“He’s a MAGA radical in his politics and against everything we hold dear,” Connolly continued.
Other Democrats haven’t said how they’ll vote — and Democrats should stick together in the face of a GOP civil war over McCarthy’s future.
“Democrats now understand that our unity is our strength when we see the other side taking power,” said Rep. Eliza Slotkin, D-Mich., a candidate for the Senate. “I’m not here to fix the Republican Party, only they can do that.”
