Latest news and live updates on the House vote on whether to oust Kevin McCarthy. The vote was prompted by a motion by Matt Gaetz after government funding disagreements.
Rep. Elise Stefanik, the GOP conference chair, delivered remarks boosting McCarthy, suggesting on the House floor this afternoon that Republican members "strongly" support him in spite of efforts by Gaetz to undermine his leadership.
"This boy from Bakersfield, he cares deeply about his constituents, his country and the American people, and that includes each and every one of his colleagues," Stefanik said of McCarthy, adding that he had supported milestones with his members, and "cheered" for them at moments when "we haven't believed in ourselves."
That includes the debt ceiling deal McCarthy made with President Joe Biden and the recent CR that kept the government open but lacked the major spending cuts conservatives had pushed for.
While Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries didn’t explicitly urge members of his caucus to vote with leadership, he said that Democrats remain “unified in our commitment to put people over politics, continue to build a healthy economy and make life more affordable for everyday Americans.”
Jeffries listed a handful of reasons why Democrats shouldn’t feel obligated to save McCarthy, arguing that the GOP majority has restructured the House “to empower right-wing extremists, kowtow to their harsh demands and impose a rigid partisan ideology.”
Among them: Reps. Patrick McHenry and Richard Hudson of North Carolina; Rep. Adrian Smith, of Nebraska; Rep. Robert Wittman, of Virginia; Rep. Andy Harris, of Maryland; and Reps. John Joyce and Guy Reschenthaler, of Pennsylvania.
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