Republicans Move To Oust McCarthy
It appears Republican lawmakers have had enough of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's recent move to cut a deal with President Joe Biden in order to end the debt ceiling crisis.
In a historic and often contentious race for the Speakership, McCarthy earned the favor of conservative Republicans in the House Freedom Caucus with a power-sharing agreement and rule changes. But after McCarthy took a public victory lap for a recent agreement to avert default, it appears some Republican lawmakers are now calling for McCarthy to be removed as House Speaker.
Rep. Dan Bishop (R-N.C.) told Politico, "Absolutely. It is inescapable to me. It has to be done." He did, however, specify he would need the backing of more colleagues before he takes formal action.
Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) reportedly echoed Bishop's sentiment in a private call with the House Freedom Caucus, expressing McCarthy's alleged betrayal of the power-sharing agreement that was in place. Moreover, Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) accused McCarthy of violating the promise that he had made to the caucus.
Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO) says Speaker McCarthy “should be concerned” about a motion to vacate his Speakership due to the debt ceiling agreement:
“He will win the vote tonight, but after this vote we will have discussions about whether there should be a motion to vacate or not.” pic.twitter.com/fqhSRV9C8o
— The Recount (@therecount) May 31, 2023
McCarthy is currently standing firm in the face of criticism, telling reporters, "I'm not sure what, in the bill, people are concerned about. I think it is an easy vote for Republicans to vote for it."
The agreement, which is widely referred to as the Fiscal Responsibility Act, is set to be passed in both the House and Senate before the June 5 deadline. While there may be those on both sides of the aisle that are opposed to the agreement, both President Biden and House Speaker McCarthy appear to be standing with it.
One thing we know for sure is that the current situation is a difficult and tenuous one for Speaker McCarthy. While it would be difficult to oust him from his Speakership, it's not impossible: it only takes one person to invoke a procedural maneuver called the "motion to vacate the chair" — something Speaker McCarthy agreed to in order to win the Speakership.
McCarthy may be playing it cool now, but as the agreement goes to a vote, he very well might find himself without the Speakership. For now, we shall have to wait and see.