Conservative group FreedomWorks comes out against McCarthy motion to vacate

A conservative group known until recently for its hard-line views has come out against an expected motion to vacate Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) in a rebuke of Rep. Matt Gaetz’s (R-FL) efforts to punish the Republican leader for relying on Democrats to help avert a government shutdown last week.

FreedomWorks, a self-described grassroots advocacy group, rejected the effort after a handful of conservatives once again floated the possibility of ousting McCarthy from his leadership position, with the organization arguing House Republicans should instead focus on passing its appropriations bills before the Nov. 17 deadline. The move comes as FreedomWorks seeks to rebrand itself as more centrist to align itself more closely with independent voters rather than those on the far Right.

MCCARTHY IN TROUBLE AS GAETZ PROMISES VENGEANCE FOR SPEAKER’S PARTNERSHIP WITH DEMOCRATS

“What the [millennial] voters, who Republicans need to win elections, want to see is Congress doing its job — passing all appropriations bills,” said Adam Brandon, president of FreedomWorks. “Not forcing a chamber to waste its time engaging in a personality conflict.”

A motion to vacate could come as soon as Monday afternoon, when the House reconvenes. Gaetz announced on Sunday morning that he plans to file the motion, following through with weeks of threats to oust the speaker if he passed a continuing resolution to fund the government temporarily — especially through a deal that garnered the support of House Democrats.

The House voted 335-91 to pass the resolution on Saturday, with more Democrats voting in favor of the legislation than Republicans. More than 90 GOP lawmakers voted against it.

“I do intend to file a motion to vacate against Speaker McCarthy this week. I think we need to rip off the Band-Aid,” Gaetz said on CNN. “I think we need to move on with new leadership that can be trustworthy.”

It’s not yet clear how much support Gaetz could attract within the GOP conference in order to pull off ousting a speaker, a procedural move that hasn’t been brought to the floor for a vote in over 100 years. If all Democrats stood against McCarthy and voted for the measure, Gaetz would need at least five Republicans to back the motion.

Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ) has signaled he would support the move, and Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN) said she was “open-minded to the idea.” Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) last week indicated he would consider a motion, but wouldn’t commit to the idea.

However, it remains unclear whether Democrats would willingly bail McCarthy out if he faced an ouster. Party leaders have repeatedly said they wouldn’t discuss a game plan until a motion is filed.

Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA) sent an email to House Democrats over the weekend stating that should a motion be filed, party leaders would hold a whip meeting to discuss next steps. Once Gaetz files a motion, a vote must be taken on the measure in the following two days.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

McCarthy has repeatedly brushed off the threat of a motion to vacate, challenging Gaetz over the weekend to “get it over with.”

“Let’s start governing,” McCarthy told CBS’s Face the Nation on Sunday. “If he’s upset because he tried to push us into shutdown and I made sure the government didn’t shut down, then let’s have that fight.”