(NewsNation) — Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., says he will keep pushing to unseat House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., even if his effort this week is unsuccessful.
“It took Speaker McCarthy 15 votes to become the speaker, so until I get to 14 or 15, I don’t think I’m being any more dilatory than he was,” Gaetz told reporters Monday.
The comments come just one day after Gaetz vowed to file a motion to vacate against Speaker McCarthy sometime this week after McCarthy backed a bipartisan measure to prevent a government shutdown.
Gaetz doubled down on his plans Monday but did not elaborate on the specific timing when asked, only saying he intends to file the motion “this week.”
The move from Gaetz follows months of threatening to do so and would essentially be a vote to end McCarthy’s speakership. It would only take a handful of House Republicans to back the motion if Democrats voted with them.
A “motion to vacate the chair” is a procedural tool that has only been used twice in the last century, and no speaker has been removed from office through such a motion.
When asked Monday whether he could get other Republicans to sign on, Gaetz said, “We’ll see.”
He was also noncommittal about who he wanted to see take over if McCarthy were ousted.
“We need someone who can connect the most conservative features of our conference to the most moderate features of our conference,” said Gaetz, adding he’s not running for the position.
Gaetz, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, was among the 20 or so who voted against McCarthy round after round as he fought for the gavel back in January.
Over the weekend, the House passed a stopgap measure to keep the government funded through Nov. 17. The measure cleared the House in a largely bipartisan 335-91 vote Saturday, with one Democrat and 90 Republicans, including Gaetz, opposed.