Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz is not backing Rep. Kevin McCarthy for speaker of the House. That much he’s made apparent. And it’s the one thing progressives can agree with him on.
Like many of us, Gaetz is also not in favor of McCarthy staying in the office that belongs to the speaker until he wins enough votes to get there. Tuesday, Gaetz sent a letter to J. Brett Blanton of the office of Architect of the Capitol, the federal agency that oversees the honored building's maintenance and operations, noting that McCarthy has “occupied” the office without authority.
"The Speaker of the House Office in the Capitol is currently being occupied by Kevin McCarthy," Gaetz tweeted Tuesday night. "Kevin McCarthy is not the Speaker of the House. He lost 3 consecutive votes today. I'm demanding answers from the Architect of the Capitol."
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"What is the basis in law, House rule, or precedent to allow someone who has placed second in three successive speaker elections to occupy the Speaker of the House Office?" Gaetz wrote, referring to the three votes where McCarthy was flushed by his fellow Republicans. "How long will he remain there before he is considered a squatter?"
Gaetz went on to encourage Blanton to respond “promptly” as McCarthy "can no longer be considered Speaker-Designate following today's balloting."
Gaetz has long said he would not support McCarthy. Tuesday, Gaetz told reporters that members of the House were threatened with removal from committees if they failed to support McCarthy.
Business Insider reports that Haley Talbot of NBC posted a video on Jan. 2 that appeared to show boxes belonging to McCarthy being moved into the House Speaker’s Office prior to the first vote taking place on the floor.
Meanwhile, many in our Daily Kos community have noted that the metal detectors framing the doorway to the House chamber had been removed. The detectors were installed following the insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021. Daily Kos is interested to know who was responsible for ordering their removal.
Axios reports that a new rules package for the incoming House Republican majority removed “Democrat fines for failure of Members to comply with unscientific mask mandates and security screenings before entering the House floor.”
A spokesperson for Republicans on the House Rules Committee did not respond to Axios’ questions about the removal of the detectors.
Voting is expected to continue Wednesday. McCarthy needs 218 votes to gain the gavel but stands (19? 20?) votes short as of Tuesday’s last ballot.
Sign and send a petition to your Republican member of Congress: Vote Hakeem Jeffries for Speaker!
What better way to start the year than by previewing the biggest contests of 2023 on this week's episode of The Downballot? Progressives will want to focus on a Jan. 10 special election for the Virginia state Senate that would allow them to expand their skinny majority; the April 4 battle for the Wisconsin Supreme Court that could let progressives take control from conservatives; Chicago's mayoral race; gubernatorial contests in Kentucky and Louisiana; and much, much more.