‘Democrats Will End Up Deciding’ Kevin McCarthy’s Fate as House Speaker
Far-right Republicans could try to oust McCarthy for working with Democrats
In the end, Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy displayed a modicum of actual leadership and turned away from the far-right elements of his own party and relied on Democrats to pass a short-term bill to avoid a federal government shutdown.
Now will that flash of backbone on the part of the man who put up with a humiliating 15 rounds of balloting in January in order just to win the speaker's gavel end up costing him his job?
Americans may start to learn the answer as early as Monday if long-time McCarthy antagonist Rep Matt Gaetz, of Florida, or other Republicans attempt to remove McCarthy as speaker as punishment for working with Democrats.
With just hours to go, McCarthy pulled off a surprising political feat Saturday by backing a temporary federal spending bill supported by Democrats to give lawmakers more time to arrive at a long-term funding agreement.
McCarthy's legislation passed the House on a lopsided vote of 335-91 before also being approved in the Democratic-led Senate.
Gaetz had threatened to call a vote to “vacate the chair” — or oust McCarthy as speaker — if McCarthy collaborated with Democrats.
“I suppose Matt Gaetz thinks this is good for his political future, he will go ahead and file this motion. He’s probably trying to figure out what Democrats would do,” said former Republican congressman Carlos Curbelo. “I would assume that Speaker McCarthy had a conversation with Leader Jeffries about this very topic because this could happen as soon as Monday of next week.”
Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York leads the 212 Democrats in the House.
“And Democrats will really be in control,” Curbelo said. “Democrats will end up deciding whether McCarthy stays in the speaker seat, or whether the house is thrown back into chaos as a result of the dysfunction inside the House Republican caucus.”
Democrats are not focused on helping McCarthy keep his job, if it comes to it, according to Rep Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas).
“There is no conversation among us. That’s a Republican problem. As far as I’m concerned, we are doing everything that we can to make Kevin McCarthy look like he was somewhat competent,” she said. “By making sure that when there is a bipartisan opportunity on the table, we absolutely do, that if it puts the American people first. His job is not my concern.”
If it comes down to it, Crockett said that she would vote for Jeffries as speaker.
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