WASHINGTON — Conservative hardliner Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., announced Sunday he will attempt to eject House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., from his post this week.
In an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Gaetz said he will file what is known as a motion to vacate against McCarthy this week, a push to remove him from his leadership position.
“I think we need to rip off the Band-Aid,” Gaetz said. “I think we need to move on with new leadership that can be trustworthy.”
The move represents an intense escalation of House conservatives’ hostility towards McCarthy. Gaetz’ commitment comes after the speaker relied on Democrats to pass a short-term, stopgap spending measure – referred to as a continuing resolution – to keep the government open and avert a shutdown on Saturday.
Gaetz has repeatedly threatened to file a motion to vacate if McCarthy ever reached across the other side of the aisle to pass a continuing resolution. Instead, Gaetz pushed for GOP leadership to pass the 12 appropriation bills necessary to fund the government long term, even if it meant leading the country to a government shutdown.
“We have to move to single-subject spending bills,” Gaetz said. “That’s why we now have to move to vacate because we have to get a system where the House and Senate will negotiate over each of these agencies of government independently.
After announcing the continuing resolution to avert a shutdown, well aware of Gaetz’ past threats, McCarthy dared his detractors to “go ahead and try” to take his gavel, arguing he was being “the adult in the room.”
“If I have to risk my job for standing up for the American public, I will do that,” McCarthy said.
House Republicans were consumed by turmoil in recent weeks over infighting between moderate GOP lawmakers and a handful of hard-right lawmakers who have refused to entertain anything short of their demands for deep spending cuts that had no chance of passing the Democratic-controlled Senate.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Matt Gaetz says he will attempt to boot McCarthy from speakership