McCarthy not worried about losing speakership over debt ceiling deal
Reese Gorman
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House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) said he is not worried about losing his speakership after a member of his conference publicly said he wants to remove him from the position.
Members of the House Republican Conference’s right flank have begun to rebel against the speaker and the debt ceiling bill he negotiated with President Joe Biden, threatening to do everything in their power to kill the bill, with one member, Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC), saying he believes McCarthy should be removed from his position.
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While battling for the speaker’s gavel in January, McCarthy made the concession to the holdouts that the motion to vacate the chair would only require one member to bring it up. Once it is filed, it would need 218 votes to remove him from the speakership.
Despite the threats, McCarthy said he is not worried about losing his speakership and doesn’t know why members of the Republican conference are against the debt ceiling bill.
“When they read through, it’s the most conservative deal we ever had,” McCarthy said. “If you look back in history, when Republicans had the presidency, the House, and Senate, did they get any cuts? We have one House. The president said he wouldn’t even talk to me. So, you know, sometimes people just don’t want to vote for a debt ceiling.”
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McCarthy held a meeting in his office with House Freedom Caucus Chairman Scott Perry (R-PA) and Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), both of whom have said they will use any method necessary to kill the debt ceiling bill and ensure it doesn’t become law.
More than 20 Republicans have said they will vote against the bill once it comes to the floor. A number of Democrats are expected to vote for the bill, but House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) told reporters that McCarthy needs to provide 150 votes from his conference and then Democrats can provide the rest to get the 218 votes needed to pass.