Rep. Matt Gaetz’s motion to remove House Speaker Kevin McCarthy from office will be put to a vote on Tuesday, according to Rep. McCarthy. And the House Democrats are indicating they won’t intervene to save him.
Following a discussion behind closed doors with the Republican conference, McCarthy informed reporters, “I am going to put up the motion to vacate today during the initial series and move through this.”
At around 1:30 p.m. ET, the House had its first votes.
McCarthy continued, “If I kept track of how many times people wanted to knock me out, I would have been gone a long time ago.”
Democrats were aggressively urged to vote against supporting Speaker McCarthy as he battles for his job during a more than two-hour caucus meeting, sources tell ABC News.
Gaetz, a conservative Republican, has attacked McCarthy’s handling of spending and budget disputes, particularly the weekend short-term funding agreement that prevented a government shutdown.
McCarthy justified working with Democrats to keep the government funded, according to sources and received a standing ovation during the GOP conference meeting.
McCarthy also expressed disappointment to the members, but emphasized they could still bring forward individual expenditure measures to fund the government past November 17.
McCarthy told reporters, “I think we’re in a really horrible place for how we’re going to run Congress if you take out a speaker that has 99% of his conference that kept the government open and paid the troops.
McCarthy would need Democrats to intervene to save him if at least five Republicans voted against him, who have indicated they want him out. McCarthy stated on Tuesday that he did not anticipate Democratic support.
McCarthy remarked, “If five Republicans vote with the Democrats, I’m out.”
McCarthy was told by Rachel Scott, senior congressional correspondent for ABC News, that “that looks likely.”
“Probably so,” he said.
sources informed ABC News McCarthy, who is battling to keep his position as leader of the House minority, called Hakeem Jeffries on Monday night.
Tuesday morning’s caucus meeting lasted for more than two hours, and sources told ABC News that Democrats were aggressively urged to vote against supporting Speaker McCarthy as he battles for his job.
As he emerged from the meeting, Jeffries assured the media that House Democrats would “continue to put people over politics and fight to improve the lives of ordinary Americans.” We exhort our Republican colleagues who pride themselves on being more traditional to reject the extremists, put an end to the disorder, dysfunction, and extremism.
In order to advance the Congress and the nation, he continued, “We are ready, willing, and able to work with our Republican colleagues. It is on them to join us.”
Kevin McCarthy, according to California Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, “is not trustworthy.”
We don’t believe in him. His own conference does not have faith in him. With Trump as speaker, “we’ve just lurched from crisis to crisis, and they need to pick someone who can govern because it’s not him,” Schiff added.
According to several House Democrats who spoke to ABC News, McCarthy will not be saved.
Representative Pramila Jayapal declared, “We are not voting in any way that would assist in saving Speaker McCarthy.”
Republicans Gaetz, Bob Good of Virginia, Andy Biggs of Arizona, Eli Crane of Arizona, and Tim Burchett of Tennessee have all stated that they want McCarthy to resign.
Others, like South Carolina Representative Nancy Mace, have said they’re torn.
I can relate to your frustration, Mace said. I feel the same way about it. Kevin has my phone number, and I’m hoping he calls before the election.
McCarthy is still supported by the majority of the conference.
According to sources, there was a tense exchange in the GOP meeting when Florida Rep. Carlos Gimenez requested a show of hands from those there who would back McCarthy. The majority of the audience raised their hands.
“That’s your answer, Matt,” Gimenez reportedly replied.
Gaetz has previously been questioned by ABC News about why he was moving forward without the majority of the conference’s support.
Gaetz responded, “Well, he no longer has my support and he no longer has the backing of the necessary number of Republicans to continue as the Republican speaker. Now, he may continue to serve as House speaker, as speaker of the Democrats, and as the leader of some form of uni-party alliance, but he won’t hold that position as a result of Republican votes.