Rep. Tim Burchett is considering supporting a possible effort to oust House Speaker Kevin McCarthy if McCarthy makes a deal with Democrats as a way out of this week’s impending government shutdown.

“That would be something I would look strongly at, ma’am, if we do away with our duty that we said we’re going to do,” Burchett (R-Tenn.) told host Dana Bash on CNN’s “State of the Union” when asked if he would support removing McCarthy as speaker.

Burchett’s comments come as Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) has used the shutdown as a launching pad to call for McCarthy’s removal as speaker. Overall, McCarthy has faced attacks from fellow Republicans accusing him of failing to lead his party, which holds a slim majority in the House, through the chaos.

The House last week failed to pass legislation to fund the government amid Republican infighting with hardliners who have promised to object to any stopgap measure. McCarthy wants to deliver a GOP opening bid to the Democratic Senate while also holding back a rebellion by far-right members of his party.

  • Prox@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    An idea without a plan. Reps have no replacement in mind to take up the Speaker position, making this threat even dumber than forcing a shutdown in the first place.

  • Rapidcreek@reddthat.com
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    1 year ago

    Next time you hear a Republican complain about partisanship choking Washington, tell them about this, about how Republicans won’t pass the most basic spending bill if they have to work with Democrats in order to do it. They will no doubt be surprised to learn about it.

    • Ghostalmedia@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      And not just any spending bill. All they need to do is pass a spending bill that aligns with the bipartisan budget priorities that were JUST agreed on during the debt ceiling debates.

      The GOP is fucking clown shoes these days.

      • ashok36@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        priorities that were JUST agreed on during the debt ceiling debates.

        That happened in the past. For conservatives, ironically, the only thing that matters is the present. The past is simply a tool, a thing to be shaped and changed and discarded if necessary in order to serve the needs of the present.

        As for the future, well, it’s been pretty obvious for years now that they have no concept of anything approaching a future state. The only thing that matters is now.

    • AFK BRB Chocolate@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      They won’t care. How can I say that authoritatively? Because, when Obama was president, McConnell said that no matter what legislation he proposed, they would vote against it because it was more important to make sure he was a one-term president than to pass any new legislation. It didn’t matter if it was something even Republicans wanted, they were going to obstruct it, and they used the filibuster way more than it had ever been used before to do it. Republicans didn’t care then, and they won’t care now.

    • CosmicTurtle@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      They only care if Democrats vote with them. That’s partisanship in their eyes. The road doesn’t go the other way. Republicans work Democrats is political suicide.

      And they don’t care about the double standard or the hypocrisy. But they know that the Democrats do.

      And Republicans use that against Democrats at every election.

  • OldWoodFrame@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    You only need one person to call for the vote to oust, so he doesn’t matter there.

    You need a majority to vote him out. There’s already a majority to vote him out if you count rebellious Republicans and all Democrats, and there is a clear majority to keep him if the Democrats choose to keep him. So he doesn’t matter there.

    Structurally, as long as 5 Republicans are against McCarthy, calling a vote to oust just lets Democrats pick if they want McCarthy or whoever the 5 pick. An incremental one person on the team with the 5 is meaningless.

    • FuglyDuck@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Well the dems will bail out whoever it is that has the best offer.

      Which basically means that if they pull the trigger they cede even more concessions to the dems.

      So, I’d like to think they’re not that dumb, but then, they like to prove me wrong.

      • OldWoodFrame@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        It’s one person needed to file a ‘motion to vacate’ but THAT just triggers a House vote with a majority needed to remove him as Speaker.

        Some people assume Democrats will always vote to remove a Republican Speaker and thus you would only need 5 Republicans to remove McCarthy, but while that might often be true it isn’t (necessarily) when a government shutdown is on the way.

    • Dr. Bluefall@toast.ooo
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      1 year ago

      Turns out that they spent so much time obstructing that when they actually have even a modicum of power, they just obstruct themselves.

  • Fisk400@feddit.nu
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    1 year ago

    Was there a shutdown under trump? Because I hope the democrats takes some time to highlight wich party keeps shutting the country down like children throwing a tantrum.

  • BolexForSoup@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    GOP always did promise to show us how useless and unproductive the government could truly be if we’d just let them. The house has been giving a great Iive demo lately.

  • Phoenixz@lemmy.ca
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    1 year ago

    Cooperate with those that are my neighbors, my enemies? NEVER! This country must be and remain in a civil war! I will. It be happy until neighbors kill neighbors, until fathers kill their sons, until daughters kill their mothers! Hate hate, hate!

    And then I’ll rule over the ashes and it will be peaceful.