The remarks, confirmed to NBC News by two sources in a closed-door meeting, reflect renewed tension within the House Republican ranks as a government shutdown looms.

Frustration boiled over in a closed-door House GOP meeting Thursday morning when Speaker Kevin McCarthy all but dared his detractors to file the “motion to vacate” the speaker’s chair and try to remove him.

In the meeting, McCarthy told House Republicans, “If you want to file a motion to vacate, then file the f—ing motion,” according to two sources in the room who confirmed the comments to NBC News.

It was a nod to members including Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., and others who are threatening to force him out of the speakership if he doesn’t comply with their demands, like putting certain bills on the floor and not passing a stopgap bill to prevent a government shutdown at the end of the month.

  • @eestileib
    link
    1810 months ago

    Reports of the republican party’s distress are greatly exaggerated.

    They still have a death grip on a large large bloc of the country’s most reliable and extreme voters.

    Yeah they’re bickering a little, but they own a) churches and b) cable and radio news.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      English
      710 months ago

      We are quite literally watching the death of the party. That is why they have turned to policies like gerrymandering and voter suppression that limit people’s ability to vote. They are no longer growing and their ideas are become less popular as time goes on. They will either have to change their platform or continue to dwindle.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        910 months ago

        We have been saying that for almost 10 years and they now control the supreme Court, the house, one geriatric heart attack away from the Senate and for some fucking reason the next election is gonna be a toss up.

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          English
          610 months ago

          The next election being a toss up is a matter of opinion. As for the other wins you mentioned they can be directly attributed to the tactics I said above, gerrymandering and voter suppression. Most of their platforms policies are not widely supported. Hell, more than 70% of Americans support some form of abortion access and they just gutted that idea. Winning through corruption and shady policies does not mean they are popular.

          • @eestileib
            link
            110 months ago

            It does mean they are better at politics than democrats.

            • @[email protected]
              link
              fedilink
              110 months ago

              Yeah, American Democracy is a game to be won and they are winning. I hate it. We need to rewrite the Constitution, though that will never happen and any document we write will have loopholes that will eventually get abused.