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Monday 2 october 2023

Gaetz says he will seek to oust McCarthy as speaker this week.

‘Bring it on,’ McCarthy says

Continued from Front whether McCarthy, R-Calif., could not even pass its own
should remain speaker. bill in an effort to avoid a
McCarthy’s response: “So be “I think we need to rip off the shutdown. Many GOP law-
it. Bring it on. Let’s get over Band-Aid,” said Gaetz, R-Fla. makers complained the
with it and let’s start govern- “I think we need to move on House waited too long to
ing.” with new leadership that can take up annual spending
No speaker has ever been be trustworthy.” bills, squandering an oppor-
removed from office through Republicans just ended a tunity to force the Senate to
such a move. Procedural tumultuous week in which negotiate on spending and
votes could be offered to Congress flirted with a gov- policy priorities.
halt the motion or it could ernment closure and the McCarthy has consistently
trigger a House floor vote on majority party in the House worked to placate the con-

Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., joined by
Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., holds a news conference
just after the House approved a 45-day funding bill to keep
federal agencies open, but the measure must first go to the
Senate, at the Capitol in Washington, Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023.
Associated Press
servative wing of his confer- disasters. Democrats jumped
ence during his nearly nine at the chance to keep the
months on the job. Last government open and both
month, he launched an chambers passed the bill by
impeachment inquiry into overwhelming margins.
President Joe Biden with- Gaetz had threatened to file
out a House vote, though his ouster motion if McCarthy
the speaker had in the past worked with Democrats and
said the failure to have such he said the spending pack-
a vote created a process age blew past spending
devoid of legitimacy. McCa- guardrails that McCarthy
rthy also has pushed spend- had agreed to previously.
ing levels for next year that McCarthy has the support of
are far below the caps he a large majority of House Re-
agreed to with Biden on a publicans, but because the
deal to extend the nation’s GOP holds such a slim 221-
debt ceiling so that the gov- 212 majority, he may need
ernment could pay its bills. votes from some Democrats
On Friday, he brought a to keep his job. When asked
short-term plan to fund the how many Republicans he
government that would en- had on board, Gaetz said
act steep spending cuts of he had enough to ensure
nearly 30% for many agen- that if McCarthy retains the
cies and strict border secu- speakership he would “be
rity provisions. But that was serving at the pleasure of the
deemed insufficient by some Democrats.”
Republicans, and 21 joined Democratic Rep. Alexandria
with every Democrat in vot- Ocasio-Cortez of New York
ing against the package. said she would vote to oust
McCarthy pivoted on Satur- McCarthy as speaker if such
day to a bill that would draw a vote occurs, calling him
Democratic support. It keeps a “weak speaker” who had
agencies funded at current “lost control of his caucus.”
levels into mid-November But she also left open the
and provides $16 billion in opportunity for negotiations,
disaster relief for states and saying that if there is Demo-
communities dealing with cratic support for McCarthy,
hurricanes and other natural it would come at a price.q