A far-right Republican lawmaker launched an effort to remove Kevin McCarthy, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, from office.
Washington:
A far-right Republican lawmaker launched a bid Monday to remove U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy from office, reigniting an intraparty battle between traditional conservatives and fierce supporters of ex-President Donald Trump.
Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz introduced his resolution from the House floor, declaring “the office of Speaker of the House of Representatives vacant.”
There will not be an immediate vote on the resolution, which requires a majority.
Gaetz is a leading figure among the small group of far-right Republican lawmakers who have brought the government to the brink of a shutdown with their refusal to accept new federal funding without deep cuts.
The group also opposes sending additional aid to Ukraine, saying the money would be better spent in the United States to combat illegal immigration.
The hardliners have a de facto veto over legislation in the House of Representatives, given the Republicans’ narrow victory in last November’s midterm elections.
After the House passed a last-minute measure on Saturday to extend funding — at current levels and without new aid to Ukraine — Gaetz said he would move to impeach McCarthy.
“I think we need to rip off the Band-Aid,” Gaetz told CNN on Sunday.
To take the gavel in January, McCarthy was forced to make concessions to the far-right bloc, including a rule change that allows one member to file such a “motion to evict.”
The timeline for the next steps in Gaetz’s resolution is variable, and it is not yet clear whether Democrats will come to McCarthy’s aid.
Gaetz said Sunday he believed he had enough Republican support to oust McCarthy.
“The only way Kevin McCarthy can be Speaker of the House of Representatives at the end of this week is if Democrats bail him out,” Gaetz told CNN.
US President Joe Biden has criticized both McCarthy and the hardliners for failing to stick to an agreement struck months ago over a debt crisis that was intended to avoid a damaging shutdown battle – and for removing aid to Ukraine.
“Stop playing games, get this done,” Biden said at a news conference on Sunday, adding that he was “tired of fringe, and so are the American people.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
