Gaetz tries to push out McCarthy after deal averts shutdown
Follow the latest updates as spending bill is signed by Joe Biden, temporarily preventing shutdown
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Matt Gaetz will offer a motion to vacate the chair in an attempt to oust House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, the far-right Florida Republican told CNN on Sunday morning.
This comes after MAGA Republicans were outraged by Mr McCarthy striking a deal with Democrats on Saturday to avert a government shutdown.
“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,” Mr Gaetz told CNN.
Meanwhile, House Republicans seem eager to exact revenge against Mr Gaetz.
News outlets reported on Sunday that Republicans in the lower chamber are looking towards the conclusion of a House Ethics Committee probe into the Republican congressman from Florida in the hopes that the probe’s findings could warrant (or excuse) his expulsion from the chamber.
Donald Trump called for Rep Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) to be put in jail for pulling a fire alarm in the US Capitol complex on Saturday.
The former president bizarrely claimed that Mr Bowman’s behaviour was worse than that of the rioters who attacked the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Democrats offer motion to adjourn but tells members not to vote to buy time
The House Democrats are trying to buy time as they look over the bill put forward to fund the government.
They have offered a motion to adjourn but have told their members at an emergency caucus meeting not to vote as they attempt to buy time to review the 71-page legislation, according to Punchbowl News.
VIDEO: Kevin McCarthy urges House Republicans to get onside as shutdown looms
‘Kevin McCarthy isn’t the most trustworthy person in this building'
The chair of the House Democrats, Rep Pete Aguilar of California, said on Sunday that the Democrats need time to read the bill, saying “Kevin McCarthy isn’t the most trustworthy person in this building, so I think behoves all of us to make sure what they say is in the bill is in the bill,” according to Punchbowl News.
Ex-Majority Leader says he’ll ‘vote to keep government open'
Former House Democratic Majority Leader Rep Steny Hoyer of Maryland exited the caucus meeting on Saturday saying that if the bill “is as advertised” he will vote for it but added that he wants more time to read the legislation, according to Punchbowl News.
The consensus among Democrats appears to be to stall for time to read the bill.
But if the motion to adjourn fails, Mr Hoyer said, “I’m gonna vote to keep the government open,” according to Axios.
Some House Dems see no way to vote down CR if there’s nothing ‘funny in there'
House Democrats are frustrated at the speed at which Speaker McCarthy is trying to push through his bill to fund the government for another 45 days.
If there’s nothing “funny in there”, a number of House Democrats told Punchbowl that they see no way for them to vote it down.
Trouble brewing as Democrat push out memo on ‘not so clean’ CR
Gaetz says McCarthy speakership is on ‘tenuous ground'
Florida Republican Matt Gaetz told reporters on Saturday that it was “disappointing” that Speaker Kevin McCarthy is ready to work with Democrats to fund the government.
“We really developed some momentum passing a bill to fund our troops, our Defense Appropriations Act. We passed our veterans funding bill, we passed our homeland security funding bill,” he said. “We passed our state and foreign obstacle funding bill and we did this with single-subject spending bills.”
“The fact that we're reverting to the normal muscle memory of Washington to pass a continuing resolution is certainly disappointing,” he added.
He said Mr McCarthy’s speakership is “on the line. I would say it's on some tenuous ground”.
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