Visibly irritated McCarthy dares Republican hard-liners to try to oust him in closed-door meeting
During a closed-door meeting with his conference, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Thursday dared Republican hard-liners to try to oust him as speaker, according to multiple sources in the room.
A defiant McCarthy said he's not afraid of a motion to vacate, sources said, telling his colleagues: "Move the f------ motion." Some in the room described McCarthy as visibly irritated.
Tensions between McCarthy and the House Freedom Caucus are at a high level amid a spending showdown on Capitol Hill.
McCarthy on Thursday warned Republicans they would lose the shutdown fight if they don't start passing bills soon, according to sources. He said the House will stay in session if the government is not funded.
Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., and members of the House Freedom Caucus are opposed to a continuing resolution to keep the government open after the Sept. 30 deadline that doesn't include their policy demands, such as language on border security and "weaponization of the DOJ."
Gaetz has repeatedly threatened that he could bring the motion to vacate to the floor any day now despite McCarthy ordering an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden -- a move widely seen as an attempt to appease the far-right flank.
"I rise today to serve notice," Gaetz said in a floor speech on Tuesday shortly after McCarthy's impeachment announcement. "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 either bring you in to immediate total compliance or remove you, pursuant to a motion to vacate the chair."
The motion to vacate was a key element of McCarthy's deal with the House Freedom Caucus, a group of 35 or so conservative hard-liners, to become speaker of the House. Under their agreement, a rule change was made to allow just a single member to launch a vote on his removal. If it did come to the full floor, it would need just a simple majority to pass.
A spokesman confirmed Gaetz was not present at the conference meeting when McCarthy unloaded because he "had a constituent matter he was attending to."
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Gatez continued to lay out hard-liner demands: "We must begin immediately. Pull yourself together, Kevin!"
McCarthy, emerging from the closed-door meeting, told reporters he was "frustrated with some people in the conference" over the status of government funding and appropriations process.
"We had the [Department of Defense] appropriations and couldn't put it on the floor. I don't have one complaint by any member of what's wrong with this bill," McCarthy said. House Republicans on Wednesday failed to move forward with a conservative bill to fund the department, yet another sign of the larger dispute between GOP leadership and hard-liners over spending levels.
McCarthy said he believed the "best ability" is to have a short-term continuing resolution to keep the government open. But he said it is still his goal to pass all 12 appropriations bills.
McCarthy also elaborated on his message to members threatening to bring a motion to vacate.
"I don't walk away from a battle," he told ABC News Senior Congressional Correspondent Rachel Scott. "I knew changing Washington would not be easy."
"I'm going to continue to just to focus on what's the right thing to do for the American people," he added. "And you know what, if it takes a fight, we'll have a fight."
-ABC's Alexandra Hutzler contributed to this report.
