Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), the House GOP’s foil to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, told CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday that he will try to remove McCarthy from his leadership post this week.
“I think we need to rip off the band-aid. I think we need to move on with new leadership that can be trustworthy,” Gaetz told moderator Jake Tapper.
One of McCarthy’s concessions to GOP hard-liners in his turbulent ascension to the speakership included a rule change that allowed for a single member of Congress to file a “motion to vacate.”
That provision would force a House vote that theoretically could remove McCarthy from his perch. The House currently has a razor-thin GOP majority.
Gaetz’s tough talk comes after a shambolic episode on Capitol Hill revolving around the threat of a government shutdown, which included Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) pullling a fire alarm—by accident, he says—while his party tried to delay a vote.
The chaotic day ended with a stopgap bill that will fund the government for about 45 days but that excluded funding for Ukraine.
