The two men already had the opportunity to clash in January, when Matt Gaetz tried everything to block the election of Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the United States House of Representatives. Monday, October 2, the Trumpist elected official from Florida, a hard-right, filed a motion to dismiss the president – also a Republican – from the Lower House of the American Congress.
This procedural maneuver, very rarely used in American parliamentary history, comes in the wake of the adoption, on Saturday, by Congress of a provisional budget for the administration, which was opposed by many conservative elected officials.
The motion tabled by Matt Gaetz will likely trigger a showdown in the coming days in the House of Representatives. ” Go ahead ! », immediately responded in a defiant tone, Mr. McCarthy, in a message on X (formerly Twitter).
Matt Gaetz accuses Kevin McCarthy of having notably concluded a “secret agreement” with President Joe Biden on a possible package for Ukraine, in the middle of budget negotiations. However, the right wing of the Republican Party is strongly opposed to the release of additional funds for kyiv, believing that this money should instead be used to fight the migration crisis on the border between the United States and Mexico.
Support from Democrats could save McCarthy
This group has a de facto veto in the House on a large number of files given the very narrow Republican majority in this institution. Kevin McCarthy, a 58-year-old speaker, was elected by force in January, due to this very slim majority. To access the “perch” – after four days of debate, three nights of negotiations and fifteen grueling rounds of voting – he had to make important concessions with around twenty Trumpist representatives, including the possibility that any elected official would have the power to call a vote to remove him.
This fratricidal initiative did not surprise Kevin McCarthy, who said on Saturday that he was aware that he was risking his seat. “You know what, if I have to risk my position to defend the American people, I will,” he said.
To pass, Matt Gaetz’s motion requires a majority vote in the House. In order to keep his seat, the Republican president may have to rely on the votes of elected Democrats. However, for the latter, nothing has been decided. Discussions are underway across Joe Biden’s party to decide whether or not Kevin McCarthy deserves to be saved.