'Nobody Except The Press' Talking About Removing McCarthy, Says Matt Gaetz

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) brushed off talk about House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's (R-Calif.) speakership being in danger as he tries to strike a compromise with President Joe Biden on the debt ceiling.

What Happened: Gaetz said on Twitter on Monday, "Literally nobody except the press is talking about removing McCarthy right now."

"I have no plans to seek the removal of Speaker McCarthy barring some dramatic, unexpected turn of events," said Gaetz, according to a statement he gave to The Washington Examiner.

"You don't remove someone simply because you disagree with them. By that standard, no speaker would last a single day. Speaker McCarthy simply must deliver on the promises he made in January. So far, his record doing so is admirable. So far.”

Why It Matters: McCarthy won the speakership in January after a historic 15-ballot battle and after conceding ground to far-right House members. During the voting rounds, Gaetz was one of his most entrenched opponents.

Among the concessions made at the time was allowing just one House member to call a vote to oust the speaker instead of the previous need for five members.

On Monday McCarthy said that the debt ceiling meeting with Biden was "productive" but no agreement was reached. The Speaker and House Financial Services Chairman Patrick McHenry (R-NC) who met with the president said spending cuts must be part of the deal.

The Republicans have passed a debt ceiling bill called the Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023, which has not been brought before the Senate.

The Act includes significant spending cuts over the next decade, but the Senate was not expected to let it through and Biden was expected to veto it if it did.

The GOP and Democrats have 10 days to come to an agreement on the debt ceiling before the treasury runs out of cash, which could potentially trigger a recession.

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