45 GOP House members pen letter rebuking ‘chaos caucus’ that toppled McCarthy

EXCLUSIVE — A group of more than 40 concerned House Republicans penned a letter to their colleagues condemning the eight Republicans who joined Democrats to oust former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) on Tuesday and are calling for “fundamental changes” to the conference structure.

The 45 members who signed the letter, which was obtained by the Washington Examiner, said they are “ashamed and embarrassed” by what happened to the motion to vacate being used and that they “refuse” to allow those eight members who “abandoned and undermined” the Republican Conference to “dictate” the selection of the next speaker or policy outcomes for the remainder of the congress.

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The letter is signed by the likes of House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-MO) and House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX). It is also signed by McCarthy allies such as Reps. Garret Graves (R-LA), Kelly Armstrong (R-ND), Stephanie Bice (R-OK), Dusty Johnson (R-SD), and Erin Houchin (R-IN).

In the letter, the 45 members rebuked the “less than 4 percent of our Republican Conference” who joined “with all Democrats to override the will of the remaining 96 percent of House Republicans on one of the most consequential votes the House has taken in over a century.”

While they are not named, the letter is referring to the eight members who voted to oust McCarthy: Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Bob Good (R-VA), Matt Rosendale (R-MT), Ken Buck (R-CO), Nancy Mace (R-SC), Tim Burchett (R-TN), and Eli Crane (R-AZ).

It makes mention of how, despite a slim majority and a Democratic-controlled Senate and White House, McCarthy succeeded in achieving significant Republican legislative wins. And, when they had a chance to pass more wins late last week, seven of the eight who voted to oust McCarthy voted against a conservative continuing resolution that included extensive border security policies and spending cuts.

“Worse still, just last Friday, seven of these eight individuals also joined with Democrats to defeat the most conservative funding and border security package in history,” the letter reads.

Good was the only Republican who voted to oust McCarthy and for the conservative continuing resolution.

The letter comes at a moment when feelings are tense within the conference following McCarthy’s ouster and House Republicans scramble to elect a new speaker as the House is currently at a standstill due to its lack of a permanent leader at its helm.

The fight for speaker is already well underway, with House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) and House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) jockeying for position and endorsements ahead of Tuesday’s candidate forum.

“We cannot allow our majority to be dictated to by the alliance between the chaos caucus and the minority party that will do nothing more than guarantee the failure of our next Speaker,” the letter reads.

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In light of this call, these members said that whoever the next speaker is, they remain “committed to the conservative and transparent objectives” McCarthy outlined at the beginning of the Congress.

“The injustice we all witnessed cannot go unaddressed—lest we bear responsibility for the consequences that follow,” it says. “Our Conference must address fundamental changes to the structure of our majority to ensure success for the American people.”