Forcing House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to abandon plans to bring a stopgap short-term spending bill to a vote this week, the far right wing of the Republican Party continues to try to “push him out of the speakership” according to Punchbowl News founder Jake Sherman, who says that “some expect a motion to vacate to be filed THIS WEEK.”
NBC News confirms: Kevin McCarthy just punted plans to tee up a vote on the GOP's short-term spending plan later this week.
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) September 19, 2023
McCarthy is now left without a viable plan to fund the goverment, with just 12 days left to avoid a shutdown. @MSNBC
In part of McCarthy’s deal to assume the Speakership in January, the House incorporated new rules making it so that only one member of Congress is needed to bring a “motion to vacate,” forcing a vote on removing the Speaker. It can be a Democrat or Republican. The vote to remove McCarthy — or “vacate” the speakership — would require only a simple majority.
☀️ AM: MCCARTHY HANDCUFFED@SpeakerMcCarthy's orbit has become increasingly convinced that his opponents are sparking a shutdown to push him out of the speakership.
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) September 19, 2023
Some expect a motion to vacate to be filed THIS WEEK
McCarthy has very little room to maneuver. But is…
The GOP is essentially fighting two battles at once — internal and external. The first is a battle against what the far right Freedom Caucus castigates as the profligate, insufficiently conservative members of its own party (like McCarthy). The second is against President Joe Biden, against whom McCarthy has greenlighted an impeachment inquiry.
In other words, the intransigent minority of the far right GOP is trying to virtually impeach McCarthy as well as Biden — in McCarthy’s case prosecuting him for irresponsibly spending taxpayer dollars.
It’s an effort that resembles Sen. Tommy Tuberville‘s military blocking. Tuberville is holding the line largely over his objection to the Pentagon abortion policy, despite the problems this causes in military readiness according to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
The far right looks willing to whack McCarthy on the budget hill the same way Tuberville is prepared to wound the military on his abortion hill. The buck has to stop, the super conservatives say, and the here is now.
Some observers, backing the right wing, are eager to say good riddance to whoever keeps passing legislation that won’t seriously curtail and track spending, here’s an example:
Good! This Bill is allocating $858 Billion dollars for the Defense Dept., and the department hasn’t been able to pass an audit of where that money goes for 30 years!! All of us taxpayers should be outraged by this! pic.twitter.com/75bHijVplU
— Sandy O (@fauxdea) September 19, 2023
