House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has won over many of those who opposed his speakership in January, despite a motion from Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) to oust him.
McCarthy defied the odds and ushered a stopgap funding bill through Congress this weekend, narrowly avoiding a shutdown, and has turned his attention to passing each of the twelve individual long-term appropriations bills before the new deadline.
WATCH — McCarthy to Rep. Gaetz: “Bring It On,” I’ll Survive as Speaker:
Many of his former detractors overwhelming support his plan, with those making statements opposing Gaetz’s resolution arguing that vacating the chair would distract from the appropriations process.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) told Sean Hannity on Monday that “there is an opportunity here” to move each of the 12 bills, something that has not happened in Washington in over a decade. “You have 45 days now to wrap this up and get those goals achieved.”
Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) in the same interview told Hannity, “If [McCarthy] gets the appropriations now that he wants in this 45-day window, I mean, this is all to me, it’s salvageable…. [if] we get the 12 with the very specific things that both of you have mentioned here, to me, you end up on the winning side here.”
Those who have announced their support for McCarthy as well as those Breitbart News believes are leaning towards supporting McCarthy at this time are Roy, Donalds, Reps. Scott Perry (R-PA), Ralph Norman (R-SC), Michael Cloud (R-TX), Andrew Clyde (R-GA), Josh Brecheen (R-OK), Dan Bishop (R-NC), and Keith Self (R-TX) with others possibly or even likely supporting him as well.
Speaker McCarthy said Tuesday that he is “confident” he will hold on and that he can count the Republicans who would oppose him on one or two hands. The situation is fluid, with a vote on the motion to table Gaetz’s motion expected Tuesday afternoon.