Love him or hate him, GOP Congressman Matt Gaetz from Florida plays hardball, and he plays for keeps.
Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, on the other hand, plays the part of the consummate politician, a House version of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a calculating Republican from Kentucky who at times seems more interested in maintaining the status quo than championing conservative causes.
In a short formal statement, McCarthy announced, “Today, I am directing our House committee to open a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden,” as reported by ABC News. Sounds good, right? It’s about time. Gaetz isn’t buying it and is calling out McCarthy for what he just might be — a champion for the status quo.
Shortly after McCarthy’s impeachment inquiry announcement, Gaetz responded on the House floor. “On this very floor in January, the whole world witnessed a historic contest for House Speaker. I rise today to serve notice. Mr. Speaker, you are out of compliance with the agreement that allowed you to assume this role.”
On this very floor in January, the whole world witnessed a historic contest for House Speaker.
I rise today to serve notice. Mr. Speaker, you are out of compliance with the agreement that allowed you to assume this role. The path forward for the House of Representatives is to… pic.twitter.com/1IFsrmT8KK
— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) September 12, 2023
That’s pretty close to calling McCarthy a straight-out liar. And Gaetz wasn’t finished, not even close.
“The path forward for the House of Representatives is to either bring you into immediate total compliance or remove you,” Gaetz continued, “pursuant to a motion to vacate the chair.”
Gaetz then went on to give a litany of McCarthy’s failures as Speaker of the House. “We have had no vote on term limits or on balanced budgets, as the agreement demanded and required. There’s been no full release of the January 6 tapes, as you promised. There’s been insufficient accountability for the Biden crime family, and instead of cutting spending to raise the debt limit, you relied on budgetary gimmicks and rescissions so that you ultimately ended up serving as the valet to underwrite Biden’s debt and advance his spending agenda.”
Was making McCarthy House Speaker a good move?
Yes: 21% (10 Votes)
No: 79% (37 Votes)
Then there’s the failure to subpoena Hunter Biden, though McCarthy promised he would use the power of the subpoena if he assumed the role. The fact that Donald Trump Jr. was subpoenaed numerous times is not lost on Gaetz. Why hasn’t the House subpoenaed Hunter Biden to date?
And how about the power of the purse, a primary tool that can be used by the House to hold the government accountable?
“The only thing the 118th Congress is known for at this point is electing Kevin McCarthy speaker and underwriting Biden’s debt,” Gaetz said. “And, unfortunately, there’s only one of those things we can remediate at this time.”
Gaetz still wasn’t finished. “Power of the purse. Our leadership right now is asking us to vote for a continuing resolution. A vote for a continuing resolution is a vote to continue the Green New Deal, a vote to continue inflationary spending, and, the most troubling of fashions, a vote for a continuing resolution is a vote to continue the election interference of Jack Smith.”
And it’s not like McCarthy didn’t know what he could do. He had options. They were spelled out for him by House Republicans. “Mr. Speaker, we told you how to use the power of the purse.”
McCarthy didn’t listen. He could have directed the House to cut the salaries of bureaucrats who had “broken bad” and relentlessly pursued President Trump. Or how about holding accountable those responsible for attempting to provide Hunter Biden a slap on the wrist and a get-out-of-jail-free card?
What about the wide open border?
The list goes on and time is running out.
“September 30 is rapidly approaching and you have not put us in a position to succeed,” Gaetz said. “There is no way to pass all the individual appropriations bills now and it’s not like we didn’t know when September 30 was going to show up on the calendar.”
The way Gaetz sees it, an impeachment inquiry on Joe Biden is too little too late, a show move or, as T.S. Eliot put it, a “gesture without motion.”
“Moments ago Speaker McCarthy endorsed an impeachment inquiry,” Gaetz said. “This is a baby step following weeks of pressure from House conservatives to do more. We must move faster. I must be better. You must be better. And this house must be better for it is the last best hope for tens of millions of Republicans. We demand real oversight against this weaponized government.”
For those who think Geatz is prone to hyperbole, he is fully aware that at least some of what he is calling for will in all likelihood not pass if comes to the House floor for a vote. “Now I will concede that the votes I have called for will likely fail. Term limits, balanced budgets, maybe even impeachment.”
But Gaetz is no fool. A vote on any of these issues would at least allow “the American people to see who is fighting for them and who is willing to tolerate more corruption and business as usual.”
Well said, Matt Gaetz.
A vote to vacate McCarthy as Speaker, however, might not fail. “A motion to vacate might not pass at first. But it might before the 15th vote.”
If the vote to vacate didn’t pass because Democrats decided to bail McCarthy out, Gaetz vows he would fight on. “And if Democrats bail out McCarthy, as they may do, then I will lead the resistance to this uni-party and the Biden-McCarthy-Jeffries government that they are attempting to build.” Gaetz is savvy when it comes to rhetoric.
In closing, Gaetz asks McCarthy to show himself for who he really is. “I know that Washington isn’t a town where people are known for keeping their word. Well, Speaker McCarthy, I’m here to hold you to yours.” The impact question in Gaetz’s statement is, “Is your word any good, Kevin McCarthy?” The American people deserve to know.
Love home or hate him, at least it is clear where Gaetz stands. Can the same be said about McCarthy?
As my grandmother was fond of saying, “Time will tell.”
