House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has reached his breaking point with GOP members who are threatening to oust him due to perceived inaction on a series of demands from the Freedom Caucus members of his party.
“If you want to file the motion, file the fucking motion,” McCarthy told his GOP colleagues on Thursday. This came after Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) confronted him earlier in the week, presenting him with a list of demands and simultaneously warning him of a potential motion to vacate his position as Speaker.
Gaetz, along with several other Republicans, has been vocal in his criticism of McCarthy for his perceived delay in initiating an impeachment inquiry against President Biden. According to Gaetz, McCarthy has been “dragging his feet.” The inquiry that McCarthy announced earlier this week is insufficient, according to Gaetz.
Moreover, McCarthy is also facing other problems. Recently, the Republicans pretended they wouldn’t budge until Democrats cut spending or separate Ukraine funding from the stopgap bill before caving at the 11th hour.
After the GOP gathering, McCarthy told journalists he expressed frustration from a place of genuinely feeling it. “I’m disappointed with certain members of our conference.”
Gaetz responded to McCarthy’s outburst: “Instead of emotionally cursing, maybe the Speaker should just keep his word from January on balanced budgets, term limits, and single-subject spending bills.”
However, it’s worth noting that some GOP members are growing weary of Gaetz’s constant threats. Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) remarked that they should keep their internal matters private. But if someone truly wants to file a motion to vacate, they should just do it. “It’s counterproductive to dangle it over everyone’s heads” as if it’s a looming threat.
Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who is closely aligned with McCarthy, also took issue with Gaetz. She criticized him for stalling a Pentagon funding bill on Thursday, demanding that McCarthy provide them with the main figures for all 12 funding bills currently under consideration.
Greene emphasized the importance of unity, stating, “If we’re going to be able to do our job, we need every single member in our conference to show up and face everyone else, and then we can work out our differences and fund the government.”