Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) is low on friends in Florida’s congressional delegation after he forced a vote that resulted in the stunning removal of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) on Tuesday night.
Members of the delegation expressed their frustration with Gaetz as they left the lower chamber, claiming he was “selfish” and divisive during a crucial time for the Republican Party, according to Politico. No other Florida Republican voted to remove McCarthy.
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“Gaetz has very few friends in the conference,” Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) said. “Gaetz maybe has a couple of friends in the delegation. But I’m not one of them.”
The congressman successfully ousted McCarthy as speaker by filing a motion for McCarthy to “vacate the chair,” which triggered a vote that needed support from more than half of the lower chamber to pass. Gaetz got the votes he needed by voting with Democrats and seven other Republicans.
“He’s about clicks,” Gimenez said, per Politico. “He’s about how many cameras he can get shoved in his face and he’s a historical figure because he caused for the first time in history and all that. I think he gets off on that.”
Others lamented the timing of McCarthy’s removal, which occurred a few days after he secured a bipartisan continuing resolution that narrowly avoided a government shutdown. The resolution was a compromise that included funding for disaster relief, but it did not include funding for Ukraine in its war with Russia.
“At the end of the day, we’re doing this, we’re not passing appropriations bills,” Rep. Michael Waltz (R-FL) said. “We’re not dealing with the border. We’re not dealing with inflation.”
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Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL) said it was “horses***” that members had to return to their home states for the remainder of the week and ahead of the Columbus Day recess. The House will return on Tuesday and is expected to vote and debate on the next speaker.
McCarthy said he will not be running for speaker again, but House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) have announced their campaigns for the speaker’s gavel.
