Congress averted a government shutdown at the last minute on Saturday. In the process, a civil war escalated in the GOP.
Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (CA) turned to Democrats to pass a short-term funding resolution in the House, and 90 Republicans voted against the measure.
Now, one GOP holdout is threatening to take the speaker down.
The stopgap spending measure keeps the government open for 45 days, ending on November 17th. It also does not include any aid for Ukraine, which President Biden and many Republicans say is crucial.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said, “To the Republicans who say Ukraine doesn’t matter to us, you’re wrong. Respectfully, you’re wrong, the war gets bigger, not smaller.”
Biden is criticizing Republicans for the last-minute politicking. “I am sick and tired of the brinksmanship and so are the American people,” he said.
Republicans are accusing a Democrat congressman of obstructing the process by pulling a fire alarm Saturday. A video appears to show New York’s Jamal Bowman activating the alarm. He called it an innocent mistake, but Capitol Police are investigating.
But critics say Republican infighting is now threatening to overwhelm the House. After GOP holdouts refused to support a bill that included stronger border protections and significant spending cuts, Speaker McCarthy chose to rely on Democrats to pass the continuing resolution.
McCarthy said, “If you have members in your conference that won’t let you vote for appropriation bills, doesn’t want an omnibus and won’t vote for a stopgap measure… I don’t want to be a part of that team. I want to be a part of a conservative group that wants to get things done.”
In response, Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz says he’s aiming to take the speaker out.
Rep. Gaetz (FL) said, “I am relentless and I will continue to pursue this objective.”
But McCarthy sounds ready for a fight. “Bring it on. Let’s get over with it and let’s start governing,” he said.
Since the GOP holds a slim majority in the House, it would only take a few Republican votes to remove McCarthy as speaker.
House Democrats are not prepared to throw him a lifeline.
“It’s up to the Republican Conference to determine their own leadership and deal with their own problems. But it’s not up to Democrats to save Republicans, from themselves, especially,” said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).
Now, some House Republicans are taking aim at Gaetz who is under investigation by the Ethics Committee for allegations of campaign violations that could include taking bribes.
Fox News reports one GOP congressman says House members are preparing a motion to expel Gaetz if the committee finds him guilty.
Gaetz could force a vote to remove McCarthy as speaker early as this week.
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