(CNN) — Rep. Matt Gates will try to impeach House Speaker Kevin McCarthy this week after the House leader worked with Democrats to avert a government shutdown this Saturday.
Speaking to CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union,” the Florida Republican said he plans to file a no-confidence motion this week, which would force a vote on whether McCarthy should keep his job.
“Speaker McCarthy reached an agreement with House conservatives in January and has blatantly reneged on that agreement over and over again,” Getz said Sunday. “This deal he made with Democrats to get around a lot of the spending limits we set was the final straw.”
He added: “I’m going to file a vote of no confidence against President McCarthy this week. I think we need to move forward with credible new leadership.”
Getz’s promise represents an escalation in the long-running conflict between McCarthy and the right wing that forced him to finally win the House speakership after 15 rounds of voting in January. As part of winning the top job, McCarthy negotiated a deal that would allow a member to move a motion of no confidence. That deal has kept the California Republican on a tightrope all year as he tries to appease the right wing of his caucus while trying to do the basic work of governing.
McCarthy’s response to Getz late Sunday was direct, telling the Florida representative to “go ahead.”
“That’s nothing new,” McCarthy said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
“Yes, I’ll survive. It’s personal to Matt. Matt voted against a very conservative ability to protect our border and protect our border. He’s more interested in getting TV interviews than actually getting anything done.”
And he added: “So be it, go ahead. Let’s get this over with and start governing.”
McCarthy’s moment of truth may have come after President Joe Biden signed a bill this Saturday that would keep the government open until mid-November, minutes before funding expired at midnight. McCarthy initially reversed his stance and worked with Democrats to overwhelmingly pass a continuing resolution to avoid a shutdown. The Senate passed the bill on a bipartisan basis later this Saturday.
That move by McCarthy could cost him his job, as Gaetz has promised almost daily. On CNN Friday, Getz said that if he files a no-confidence motion with Democrats about McCarthy’s successor, it would force the House to vote on whether to remove the House speaker.
McCarthy remained defiant and challenged his opponents to try to unseat him this Saturday.
“If somebody wants to file a motion against me, let them do it,” McCarthy told CNN’s Manu Raju at a news conference. “There’s got to be an elder in the room. I’m going to rule what’s best for this country.”
The Florida Republican accused McCarthy of lying in negotiations over the continuing resolution.
“Look, the one thing they all have in common is that no one trusts Kevin McCarthy. He lied to Biden, he lied to House conservatives. He needs members to come up with a completely different number. And the reason we’re facing the shutdown is not a failure of the system. It’s a characteristic,” he said. said.
A senior Democratic source told CNN that most members are skeptical of saving McCarthy because he has shown little interest in working with Democrats and opening an impeachment inquiry against Biden.
McCarthy, according to multiple sources, has yet to approach Democratic leaders for serious talks on the issue. But there could be some moderate Democrats who, if they get something in return, will try to find a way to help McCarthy stay in power.
However, Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said in a separate interview on Sunday’s “State of the Union” that she would “absolutely” vote to impeach McCarthy.
“I think Kevin McCarthy is a very weak speaker. He has clearly lost control of his caucus. He has brought America and millions of Americans to the brink, waited until the last hour to open the government, and then agreed to an extension of 45 days,” he said.
It’s clear that Getz has been working for days to take the temperature of House Democrats and their desire to oust McCarthy from the presidency.
“Kevin McCarthy will be speaker next weekend if only the Democrats bail him out. They probably will. When you don’t believe in anything like Kevin McCarthy, I think everything is negotiable and I’ll reach an agreement with the Democrats,” he said.
Asked how he would get Democrats to impeach McCarthy, Getz said, “I think the Democrats should vote for free against McCarthy,” and if they help him be his spokesman, “he’ll be my spokesman, not mine.” said.
The House of Representatives is closed until this Monday, so it could happen much sooner, and then the leadership would need two days to schedule a vote.
CNN’s Claire Foran, Melanie Sanona, Manu Raju and Morgan Rimmer contributed to this report.
