Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz ripped Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy and gave him a list of demands Tuesday while threatening a motion for McCarthy to vacate the chair.
“Mr. Speaker, we told you how to use the power of the purse. Individual, single subject spending bills, that would allow us to have specific review programmatic analysis that would allow us to zero out the salaries of the bureaucrats who have broken bad, targeted President Trump or cut sweetheart deals. You have not put us in a position to succeed. There is no way to pass all the individual appropriations bills now. And it’s not like we didn’t know when September 30 was going to show up on the calendar. I must be better. You must be better. And this house must be better for it is the last best hope for 10s of millions of Republicans,” Gaetz said on the House floor.
“We demand real oversight against this weaponized government. Just look at the bribery. If 10s of millions of dollars flowing from foreign corrupt people into the bank accounts of the Biden family wasn’t enough for actual impeachment, why were we even looking? Joe Biden deserves impeachment for converting the vice presidency into an ATM machine for virtually his entire family. We all see it. We all know it,” Gaetz continued. (RELATED: Kevin McCarthy Announces House GOP To Launch Impeachment Inquiry Into President Biden)
WATCH:
On this very floor in January, the whole world witnessed a historic contest for House Speaker.
I rise today to serve notice. 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… pic.twitter.com/1IFsrmT8KK
— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) September 12, 2023
McCarthy announced just before Gaetz’s speech the Republican Party will move forward with an impeachment inquiry into Biden. However, Gaetz said that is not enough.
Republican Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz and other House Republicans have continued to pressure McCarthy to move forward with an impeachment inquiry. The speaker said he now believes there is enough evidence stemming from the House Judiciary Committee and House Oversight Committee to move forward with an impeachment inquiry into the president.
“Now moments ago, Speaker McCarthy endorsed an impeachment inquiry. This is a baby step following weeks of pressure from House conservatives to do more. We must move faster. Now I will concede that the votes I have called for will likely fail. Term limits, balanced budgets, maybe even impeachment. I am prepared for that eventuality because at least if we take votes the American people get to see who’s fighting for them and who’s willing to tolerate more corruption and business as usual,” he said. (RELATED: Matt Gaetz Calls Trump’s Endorsement Of McCarthy ‘Sad’)
The House GOP was expected to vote on an impeachment inquiry; however, McCarthy did not mention holding a vote to move forward with the inquiry during Tuesday’s statement.
“Mr. Speaker, dust off our written January agreement. You have a copy. Reflect on the spirit of that agreement, and build on the start that we had moments ago. Begin to comply. No continuing resolutions, individual spending bills or bust votes on balanced budgets and term limits, subpoenas for Hunter Biden and the members of the Biden family who’ve been grifting off of this country and the impeachment for Joe Biden that he so richly deserves. Do these things or face a motion to vacate the chair,” Gaetz added.
(This is a developing story. More information will be added as it becomes available.)