WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — As the House scrambles to pick a new House speaker, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., has received mixed reactions after leading the motion to vacate Kevin McCarthy from the position.
So far, Republicans Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Steve Scalise, R-La., have thrown their hats in the ring to replace Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., after he was ousted in a historic motion to vacate by a member of his own party.
Gaetz is now under immense fire for triggering a power vacuum that has rendered the House basically useless.
Gaetz spoke with NewsNation following his takedown of the man second in line to the presidency, claiming he’s actually received support from people around the country.
The move to vacate the House speaker essentially left the chamber frozen, unable to pass bills or vote on anything until a new speaker is elected.
The Florida representative said despite the pause, the House wasn’t working on anything important anyway and that Congress was still able to do some work even if it can’t pass any bills.
“There’s still oversight happening, committees are still engaging in their work, but the first thing we ought to do is elect a new speaker and get off to a new, great path,” Gaetz said.
Gaetz continued, “The most serious thing we have to do is move single subjects, spending bills pursuant to a budget. Kevin McCarthy refused to do that.”
But the Florida lawmaker wouldn’t share who he had a preference between when asked about Jordan and Scalise.
Most Republicans have kept their opinions to themselves, not committing to any candidate just yet. But the work and campaigning are happening behind the scenes, as some lawmakers told NewsNation that both Jordan and Scalise have been making calls to garner support.
A few members have already endorsed one or the other, and Scalise has been considered the favorite at the moment based on conference answers. Plus, Scalise is already the number two person in the House as the majority leader, having already established infrastructure and leadership.
Jordan does not. However, he carries a lot of weight in the Republican conference, too. He’s already racked up some influential endorsements as well.
Republicans hope to return to Washington, D.C., for a conference-wide meeting next week on Tuesday. The best-case scenario is that the House elects a new speaker on Wednesday. But given the unpredictability of this group, it’s unknown how long or how many ballots selecting a new speaker could take.