(WASHINGTON) — A Republican senator is renewing calls for legislation that would require lawmakers to reach a government funding deal without threat of a shutdown.
Sen. James Lankford is resuming calls to pass legislation that would require congressional lawmakers to work in “continuous session” and abide by other stipulations until reaching a deal to fund the government by fiscal-year deadlines in the future.
Lankford, R-Okla., first introduced the Prevent Government Shutdowns Act five years ago, along with Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-NH, after the two sat down to discuss the idea for bipartisan legislation that could help put an end to government shutdowns, Lankford told ABC News on Tuesday.
“What’s the best way to stop it? So as simple as it sounds, we start with the most basic concept. If you don’t finish your classwork, you stay after class,” Lankford said.
“So the way that this works is, if you get to the end of the fiscal year and the 12 appropriation bills are not done, the House and the Senate are in continuous session seven days a week, we can’t travel, and we can only move to appropriation bills during that time period,” Lankford said. “It basically puts us in a spot to say, ‘You can’t leave, you can’t go see your family on the weekend, you can’t travel and do other events and things that need to be done. You’ve got to be able to stay here and work on just appropriations until you get those things solved.'”
Lankford continued: “When my older brother and I were having arguments growing up, my mom would lock the two of us in one of our bedrooms, and would say, ‘When you guys solve this, you can come out.'”
The senator’s comments came after lawmakers narrowly averted what would have been one of the largest government shutdowns in history. With just hours until the midnight deadline, the House and Senate passed a stopgap funding bill late Saturday night to fund the government through November.
President Joe Biden signed the measure and urged Congress to “get to work right away” to pass government funding bills for the next fiscal year.
The House ousted Kevin McCarthy as speaker Tuesday after challenges from Rep. Matt Gaetz and other Republican hardliners after McCarthy worked with House Democrats to keep the government funded. Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., was named as speaker pro tempore, an interim role to lead the chamber until another speaker is elected at a future point.
Lankford said he is “confident” lawmakers can avoid a shutdown by the new deadline.
“The vast majority of the American people don’t see this as productive. It puts us in a terrible position on the international stage when the rest of the world is watching us. It spends more money than it saves, by far, puts a lot of federal workers and their families in a really tough position. And if you’re some of those folks that are contractors who work for the federal government, you’re out and you don’t get paid at all,” Lankford said.
Lankford said the Prevent Government Shutdowns Act is now “gaining a lot of steam” on both sides of the aisle and he believes he has 60 votes of support for the bill in the Senate.
“It’s a matter of getting it through final committee again, which we’ve done in previous sessions. And actually getting it on the floor and to be able to vote and pass it and make it law. That way we can forever end government shutdowns and then we can argue about other things that actually matter more — the topic of the shutdown, not about having a shutdown,” Lankford said.
(WASHINGTON) — A showdown is unfolding Tuesday to determine House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s fate as leader of the chamber’s Republican majority.
Hard-line Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida is leading the charge against McCarthy. He introduced a so-called motion to vacate late Monday after criticizing how McCarthy has handled spending and budget issues since Republicans retook majority control of the chamber and claiming McCarthy can’t be trusted.
McCarthy has defended his record, including most recently in averting a partial federal government shutdown with Democratic support — calling himself “the adult in the room.”
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Oct 03, 4:54 PM EDT
The Republicans who voted to remove McCarthy
Eight Republicans voted to take away McCarthy’s gavel.
In addition to Gaetz, who introduced the motion to vacate, the following Republicans voted to oust McCarthy: Reps. Andy Biggs of Arizona, Ken Buck of Colorado, Tim Burchett of Tennessee, Eli Crane of Arizona, Bob Good of Virginia, Nancy Mace of South Carolina and Matt Rosendale of Arizona.
Every Democrat present also supported the motion to vacate.
Oct 03, 4:53 PM EDT
McHenry named interim speaker pro tempore
In the minutes after the motion to vacate against McCarthy, Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., was named as speaker pro tempore, an interim role to lead the chamber until another speaker is elected at a future point.
McHenry is a top McCarthy ally and chairman of the House Financial Services Committee.
He recessed the House for caucus meetings.
Oct 03, 4:51 PM EDT
House votes to remove McCarthy as speaker — a historic first
In a 45-minute roll call vote, the House moved to oust McCarthy as speaker.
The final vote was 216 to 210 in favor of Gaetz’s motion to vacate, with eight Republicans joining Democrats.
“The office of speaker of the House of the United States House of Representatives is hereby declared vacant,” said presiding officer Rep. Steve Womack.
It is the first time in U.S. history that the speaker of the House has been booted from the post, putting the chamber in unprecedented territory.
Oct 03, 4:42 PM EDT
Republican rebels appear to have the votes to remove McCarthy
Republican rebels appear to have enough votes to remove McCarthy as speaker, given that Democrats joined them, though the vote is ongoing.
Oct 03, 4:20 PM EDT
What happens if Gaetz wins — and McCarthy loses?
The House would be in uncharted waters if McCarthy is removed as speaker: A motion to vacate has never been used successfully.
But the chamber wouldn’t be as paralyzed and chaotic as it was in January amid McCarthy’s five-day, 15-ballot vote to win the gavel.
As part of a rule change after 9/11 to support the continuity of government, the speaker is required to deliver to the House clerk an ordered list of members who can act as speaker pro tempore in the event of a vacancy.
The person at the top of McCarthy’s list will serve as interim speaker until a new one is elected.
If the motion to vacate is successful, the chamber could go right to another speaker vote — and McCarthy’s allies could put him forward again to reclaim his post.
But unlike in January, it’s possible that the House could take up other business in the meantime: The chamber has a rules package, and the speaker pro tempore would have the authority to act as speaker until a new one is elected.
Oct 03, 4:06 PM EDT
Vote begins on motion to vacate
A roll call vote is underway on the motion to vacate, which will decide whether McCarthy will keep his gavel.
If successful, it will be a historic moment. The motion to vacate has only been used once before — more than a century ago — and failed.
It would take as few as five Republican defections to oust McCarthy as speaker, if all Democrats vote against him.
Oct 03, 3:55 PM EDT
Scalise, whom Gaetz floated as possible successor, backs McCarthy
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise also stood up to support McCarthy during the debate on the motion to vacate, saying now isn’t the time to stop the progress House Republicans have made.
“When we go back to January, as many people have, we knew that it was going to be a narrow majority,” Scalise said. “We also knew it wasn’t going to be easy. How many of us came here because we thought this job was going to be easy?”
Scalise continued, “One thing we did know is that if we were going to finally start confronting the problems that had been ignored for years and years and years, we had to change the way this place worked. And one thing Speaker McCarthy embraced from Day 1 is to start making those kind of changes to this institution — opening up the process, allowing members to be more engaged, having amendments come to the floor, single-subject bills, doing appropriations bills.”
“Speaker McCarthy has been leading at the top of the level to make sure we have the tools to do our jobs,” he added.
Gaetz said earlier this week he’d support Scalise for speaker and believed other Republicans would, too, telling reporters he thinks “very highly” of the No. 2 House Republican.
Oct 03, 3:38 PM EDT
Jim Jordan calls McCarthy ‘rock solid’
With debate continuing between those backing McCarthy and the minority in the GOP who have joined Gaetz, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said McCarthy deserves to keep his job — calling him “rock solid” on several promises Republicans made when they retook majority control of the chamber.
Jordan pointed to several bills that were passed by the House, including border security legislation and rescinding funding for the IRS. Jordan also touted House oversight activities and defended McCarthy’s actions to keep the government open and operational for 45 more days.
“I think the speaker has kept his word,” he said. “I know my colleagues and friends are saying different. I think he has kept his word … I think we should keep him as speaker.”
Oct 03, 3:34 PM EDT
Gaetz personally responding to pro-McCarthy speeches
During the debate, after initially introducing speeches from a few other Republicans who are backing his motion, including Andy Biggs and Bob Good, Gaetz has since used his time to personally respond to each of the pro-McCarthy speeches being made by other lawmakers.
Those responses have sometimes been as brief as simply disputing the common refrain from McCarthy’s backers: that moving to oust him is a short-sighted and punitive act that won’t help the conference accomplish its goals.
Not so, Gaetz has continually said as he repeats his argument: McCarthy must go.
-ABC News’ Adam Carlson
Oct 03, 3:29 PM EDT
Gaetz shooed away from Republican microphones
Right before debate began on the motion to vacate, Gaetz was seen trying to use the microphones on the Republican side of the chamber.
But he was blocked by McCarthy allies and aides, who shooed him to the Democratic side of the chamber.
McCarthy is sitting in the second row on the Republican side of the chamber as debate continues.
Oct 03, 3:21 PM EDT
Gaetz: ‘Chaos is Speaker McCarthy’
Gaetz took aim at Cole’s comments as he also slammed McCarthy and criticized Capitol Hill’s approach to spending.
“Chaos is Speaker McCarthy,” Gaetz said, rebuffing how Cole argued that the motion to vacate would create needless disruption in the chamber.
“Chaos is somebody that we cannot trust with their word. The one thing that the White House, House Democrats and many of us on the conservative side of the Republican caucus would argue is that the thing we have in common: Kevin McCarthy said something to all of us at one point that he didn’t really mean and never intended to live up to.”
Gaetz went on to lambast the size of national debt and deficit as well as the lack of single-subject spending bills — something McCarthy has said he is also focused on enacting.
Oct 03, 3:11 PM EDT
Cole defends McCarthy’s record and urges Dems to think twice
After Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., delivered a speech castigating McCarthy and explaining why he was joining Gaetz in the motion to vacate, Republican Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma spoke out in support of McCarthy and warned of “chaos” should the conference’s breakaway faction succeed in removing him.
“They’re willing to plunge this body into chaos, and this country into uncertainty, for reasons only they understand,” Cole said. To the Democrats who are expected to vote against McCarthy as well, Cole said, “Think long and hard before you plunge us into chaos.”
Cole also celebrated how McCarthy had navigated the differences in the closely divided House — and Washington more broadly — to notch spending cuts in the debt limit fight earlier this year, pushing back on criticism from Gaetz and others that McCarthy hadn’t done enough to curb the federal budget.
Cole also suggested McCarthy had proven himself capable of making sure the House would continue to accomplish Republican priorities.
“I’m very proud of this speaker. I’m very proud to stand behind him. Tomorrow morning, whether I win or lose, I’m going to be pretty proud of the people I fought with and I’m going to be pretty proud of the person I fought for,” Cole said.
-ABC News’ Adam Carlson
Oct 03, 3:08 PM EDT
As debate begins ahead of vote, Rep. Good outlines his case against McCarthy
Debate began Tuesday afternoon on the motion to vacate ahead of the vote on it. Gaetz ceded the floor to Virginia Republican Rep. Bob Good.
“Like so many others, I deeply regret that we are here in a totally avoidable situation,” Good said as he began his remarks, which largely targeted McCarthy’s actions on spending to date. “I must take you back to January, however, which for many of us was about not repeating the failures of the past and letting Republican voters across the country down once again.”
Good continued, “Back in January, I expressed my concern that the previous two years during my first term here in this House, we had not used every tool at our disposal to fight against the harmful, radical, Democratic agenda that is destroying the country, bankrupting the country and under which the American people are suffering.”
Oct 03, 3:04 PM EDT
McCarthy presides over opening prayer, possibly for last time
McCarthy presided over the House opening prayer — with his head bowed, eyes closed and hands clasped — possibly for the final time as his speakership hangs in the balance.
“On this day, may we sacrifice our inclination for contempt and instead initiate kindness,” Chaplain Margaret Kibben said as she offered the prayer.
“Loosen our grip on judgment and instead may we grab hold of a generosity of spirit. May we foreswear our grudges and commit instead to exercise forbearance. Hold us accountable that our arguments will hold forth your righteousness and not ring hallow in our rightness.”
Oct 03, 3:03 PM EDT
What Democrats said about McCarthy behind closed doors
Sources in the room shared with ABC News some of what was said during the hourslong Democratic caucus meeting earlier Tuesday.
Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin specifically raised McCarthy’s conduct surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol attack, slamming his about-face on Trump after initially blaming him for the riot.
New York’s Dan Goldman told members he received a call from former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney encouraging Democrats to “get rid” of McCarthy.
California Rep. Adam Schiff, a movie buff, quoted “The Big Lebowski” in reference to Gaetz and their agreement over removing McCarthy: “You’re not wrong, Walter. You’re just an a——.”
Oct 03, 2:57 PM EDT
Republicans fail to block motion to vacate
The motion to table Gaetz’s own motion to vacate — which would have effectively killed his request before it received a vote — has failed, 208-218.
Eleven Republicans joined all Democrats in voting it down — setting up a key vote on the motion to vacate.
The failure of the motion to table suggests McCarthy’s speakership is in real jeopardy as he would need a majority of support of the chamber to back him in order to keep his role.
A vote on the motion to vacate is expected shortly. After the vote, McCarthy slumped in his chair in the second row.
-ABC News’ Adam Carlson
Oct 03, 2:35 PM EDT
House voting on motion to table Gaetz’s call to remove McCarthy
McCarthy ally Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., introduced a motion to table — or effectively kill — Gaetz’s effort to oust McCarthy.
Democrats then requested a voice vote on the motion, which is ongoing. It is a 15-minute vote.
Oct 03, 2:27 PM EDT
Ahead of vote, McCarthy and Gaetz spotted on the House floor
Speaker McCarthy and Rep. Gaetz are sitting just rows away from each other on the packed House floor ahead of votes on the motion to vacate.
Oct 03, 2:03 PM EDT
6 Republicans now support motion to vacate
Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., just announced his support for the motion to oust McCarthy.
“I have kept my promise to the people of Montana by voting to make us energy-dominant again, secure our border, cut spending, and to put an end to the social experiment being inflicted on our military,” Rosendale wrote in a post to X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Unfortunately, Kevin McCarthy violated his promise to the American people and the Republican Conference by working against them repeatedly and supporting ploys to aid the Left. This demonstration of failed leadership is exactly why I plan on supporting the motion to vacate this afternoon,” Rosendale added.
The five other Republicans who’ve said they want McCarthy removed are Rep. Matt Gaetz, Rep. Bob Good of Virginia, Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona, Rep. Eli Crane of Arizona and Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee.
-ABC News’ Katherine Faulders
Oct 03, 1:26 PM EDT
Democrats don’t plan to save McCarthy’s speakership
During a more than two-hour caucus meeting, Democrats were strongly encouraged to vote to not support Speaker McCarthy as he fights for his job, sources tell ABC News.
“It is now the responsibility of the GOP members to end the House Republican Civil War,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement. “Given their unwillingness to break from MAGA extremism in an authentic and comprehensive manner, House Democratic leadership will vote yes on the pending Republican Motion to Vacate the Chair.”
Several Democrats said they don’t plan to bail McCarthy out.
“We’re not voting in any way that would help save speaker McCarthy,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said.
Vice Chair of House Democratic caucus Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., said, “the leadership put out the facts and the caucus heard from a lot of members… we need a functioning government and speaker McCarthy has shown he cannot govern.”
Oct 03, 1:20 PM EDT
Has an effort to remove a House speaker ever succeeded?
A motion to vacate has only ever been voted on once, in 1910, in an effort to boot then-Speaker Joseph Cannon. The effort failed.
In 2015, then-Rep. Mark Meadows filed a resolution to force a vote on then-Speaker John Boehner’s leadership. But because Meadows didn’t introduce it on the House floor, it wasn’t taken up for consideration.
While history shows previous such efforts over the years have always failed — it’s possible this one could succeed.
(WASHINGTON) — The White House on Tuesday expressed confidence that regardless of developments on Capitol Hill, the U.S. would ultimately provide more assistance for Ukraine — but warned, absent progress, current funding could run out in “a couple of months.”
Despite Congress’ failure to approve additional aid for Ukraine in government funding passed over the weekend — and with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s job hanging in the balance — White House national security spokesman John Kirby said he remained hopeful.
“All of the House leadership is supportive of continuing to help Ukraine, and the vast majority of House members on the Republican side are in support of continuing to help Ukraine,” Kirby said. “There’s a small number of very vocal — a small minority of vocal members who are pushing back on that, but they don’t represent their party, they don’t represent their leadership.”
But without additional aid from Congress, the U.S. could continue to provide funding for Ukraine at the current levels for just “a couple of months or so, roughly,” he said.
The exact length of time depended on developments on the battlefield in the coming weeks and how Ukraine’s needs evolve, he added.
On Monday, the White House said only that it could sustain Ukraine’s battlefield needs “for a bit longer.”
“I need a little bit of breathing room on what ‘a bit’ means,” Kirby said Tuesday. “But — but you know, in coming weeks — and a couple of months or so is roughly about right.”
President Joe Biden called allies Tuesday morning to update them on developments on Capitol Hill and tell them he was “confident that we’re going to continue to have bipartisan and bicameral support up on Capitol Hill and that the United States will continue to meet our commitments” to Ukraine, according to Kirby.
“None of the foreign leaders expressed concerns about continued U.S. support,” Kirby said. “They understand what’s going on up on Capitol Hill. They understand that this is a small minority of extreme Republicans that are holding this up, and that, and they understand that the bulk of Republican leadership, House and the Senate, all support Ukraine.”
Support for funding for Ukraine has been a key sticking point in Rep. Matt Gaetz’s bid to oust McCarthy, with the Florida Republican accusing McCarthy of making a “side deal” with Biden on Ukraine funding to get Democratic support to avoid a government shutdown. McCarthy, now the subject of Gaetz’s motion to vacate, has denied this claim.
Biden, who has emphasized the importance of funding Ukraine, was asked by a reporter on Sunday if he was “going to be able to trust Speaker McCarthy when the next deal comes around.”
“We just made one about Ukraine,” Biden replied. “So, we’ll find out.”
The White House has since declined to clarify what deal Biden had been referring to, or even say if Biden and McCarthy had actually made a deal at all. Rather, officials have pointed to McCarthy’s public support for military aid to Kyiv.
Kirby told ABC News Senior White House Correspondent Selina Wang on Tuesday that reduced U.S. support would mean Ukraine would not be able to still defend itself — and that Russia would be able to retake the initiative in its invasion.
“We know that the counteroffensive has not gone as far or as fast as even the Ukrainian wanted to,” Kirby said, noting that there were only six to eight more weeks before winter weather would make Ukraine’s counteroffensive more challenging.
“Time is not our friend,” he said.
Kirby warned that it was “imperative” to help Ukraine “take advantage of every single day” — and to send a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“A lapse in support for even a short period of time can make all the difference on the battlefield,” Kirby said. “Just as critically, such a lapse in support will make Putin believe that he can out — he can wait us out.”
(WASHINGTON) — A showdown is unfolding Tuesday to determine House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s fate as leader of the chamber’s Republican majority.
Hard-line Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida is leading the charge against McCarthy. He introduced a so-called motion to vacate late Monday after criticizing how McCarthy has handled spending and budget issues since Republicans retook majority control of the chamber and claiming McCarthy can’t be trusted.
McCarthy has defended his record, including most recently in averting a partial federal government shutdown with Democratic support — calling himself “the adult in the room.”
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Oct 03, 4:06 PM EDT
Vote begins on motion to vacate
A roll call vote is underway on the motion to vacate, which will decide whether McCarthy will keep his gavel.
If successful, it will be a historic moment. The motion to vacate has only been used once before — more than a century ago — and failed.
It would take as few as five Republican defections to oust McCarthy as speaker, if all Democrats vote against him.
Oct 03, 3:55 PM EDT
Scalise, whom Gaetz floated as possible successor, backs McCarthy
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise also stood up to support McCarthy during the debate on the motion to vacate, saying now isn’t the time to stop the progress House Republicans have made.
“When we go back to January, as many people have, we knew that it was going to be a narrow majority,” Scalise said. “We also knew it wasn’t going to be easy. How many of us came here because we thought this job was going to be easy?”
Scalise continued, “One thing we did know is that if we were going to finally start confronting the problems that had been ignored for years and years and years, we had to change the way this place worked. And one thing Speaker McCarthy embraced from Day 1 is to start making those kind of changes to this institution — opening up the process, allowing members to be more engaged, having amendments come to the floor, single-subject bills, doing appropriations bills.”
“Speaker McCarthy has been leading at the top of the level to make sure we have the tools to do our jobs,” he added.
Gaetz said earlier this week he’d support Scalise for speaker and believed other Republicans would, too, telling reporters he thinks “very highly” of the No. 2 House Republican.
Oct 03, 3:38 PM EDT
Jim Jordan calls McCarthy ‘rock solid’
With debate continuing between those backing McCarthy and the minority in the GOP who have joined Gaetz, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said McCarthy deserves to keep his job — calling him “rock solid” on several promises Republicans made when they retook majority control of the chamber.
Jordan pointed to several bills that were passed by the House, including border security legislation and rescinding funding for the IRS. Jordan also touted House oversight activities and defended McCarthy’s actions to keep the government open and operational for 45 more days.
“I think the speaker has kept his word,” he said. “I know my colleagues and friends are saying different. I think he has kept his word … I think we should keep him as speaker.”
Oct 03, 3:34 PM EDT
Gaetz personally responding to pro-McCarthy speeches
During the debate, after initially introducing speeches from a few other Republicans who are backing his motion, including Andy Biggs and Bob Good, Gaetz has since used his time to personally respond to each of the pro-McCarthy speeches being made by other lawmakers.
Those responses have sometimes been as brief as simply disputing the common refrain from McCarthy’s backers: that moving to oust him is a short-sighted and punitive act that won’t help the conference accomplish its goals.
Not so, Gaetz has continually said as he repeats his argument: McCarthy must go.
-ABC News’ Adam Carlson
Oct 03, 3:29 PM EDT
Gaetz shooed away from Republican microphones
Right before debate began on the motion to vacate, Gaetz was seen trying to use the microphones on the Republican side of the chamber.
But he was blocked by McCarthy allies and aides, who shooed him to the Democratic side of the chamber.
McCarthy is sitting in the second row on the Republican side of the chamber as debate continues.
Oct 03, 3:21 PM EDT
Gaetz: ‘Chaos is Speaker McCarthy’
Gaetz took aim at Cole’s comments as he also slammed McCarthy and criticized Capitol Hill’s approach to spending.
“Chaos is Speaker McCarthy,” Gaetz said, rebuffing how Cole argued that the motion to vacate would create needless disruption in the chamber.
“Chaos is somebody that we cannot trust with their word. The one thing that the White House, House Democrats and many of us on the conservative side of the Republican caucus would argue is that the thing we have in common: Kevin McCarthy said something to all of us at one point that he didn’t really mean and never intended to live up to.”
Gaetz went on to lambast the size of national debt and deficit as well as the lack of single-subject spending bills — something McCarthy has said he is also focused on enacting.
Oct 03, 3:11 PM EDT
Cole defends McCarthy’s record and urges Dems to think twice
After Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., delivered a speech castigating McCarthy and explaining why he was joining Gaetz in the motion to vacate, Republican Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma spoke out in support of McCarthy and warned of “chaos” should the conference’s breakaway faction succeed in removing him.
“They’re willing to plunge this body into chaos, and this country into uncertainty, for reasons only they understand,” Cole said. To the Democrats who are expected to vote against McCarthy as well, Cole said, “Think long and hard before you plunge us into chaos.”
Cole also celebrated how McCarthy had navigated the differences in the closely divided House — and Washington more broadly — to notch spending cuts in the debt limit fight earlier this year, pushing back on criticism from Gaetz and others that McCarthy hadn’t done enough to curb the federal budget.
Cole also suggested McCarthy had proven himself capable of making sure the House would continue to accomplish Republican priorities.
“I’m very proud of this speaker. I’m very proud to stand behind him. Tomorrow morning, whether I win or lose, I’m going to be pretty proud of the people I fought with and I’m going to be pretty proud of the person I fought for,” Cole said.
-ABC News’ Adam Carlson
Oct 03, 3:08 PM EDT
As debate begins ahead of vote, Rep. Good outlines his case against McCarthy
Debate began Tuesday afternoon on the motion to vacate ahead of the vote on it. Gaetz ceded the floor to Virginia Republican Rep. Bob Good.
“Like so many others, I deeply regret that we are here in a totally avoidable situation,” Good said as he began his remarks, which largely targeted McCarthy’s actions on spending to date. “I must take you back to January, however, which for many of us was about not repeating the failures of the past and letting Republican voters across the country down once again.”
Good continued, “Back in January, I expressed my concern that the previous two years during my first term here in this House, we had not used every tool at our disposal to fight against the harmful, radical, Democratic agenda that is destroying the country, bankrupting the country and under which the American people are suffering.”
Oct 03, 3:04 PM EDT
McCarthy presides over opening prayer, possibly for last time
McCarthy presided over the House opening prayer — with his head bowed, eyes closed and hands clasped — possibly for the final time as his speakership hangs in the balance.
“On this day, may we sacrifice our inclination for contempt and instead initiate kindness,” Chaplain Margaret Kibben said as she offered the prayer.
“Loosen our grip on judgment and instead may we grab hold of a generosity of spirit. May we foreswear our grudges and commit instead to exercise forbearance. Hold us accountable that our arguments will hold forth your righteousness and not ring hallow in our rightness.”
Oct 03, 3:03 PM EDT
What Democrats said about McCarthy behind closed doors
Sources in the room shared with ABC News some of what was said during the hourslong Democratic caucus meeting earlier Tuesday.
Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin specifically raised McCarthy’s conduct surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol attack, slamming his about-face on Trump after initially blaming him for the riot.
New York’s Dan Goldman told members he received a call from former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney encouraging Democrats to “get rid” of McCarthy.
California Rep. Adam Schiff, a movie buff, quoted “The Big Lebowski” in reference to Gaetz and their agreement over removing McCarthy: “You’re not wrong, Walter. You’re just an a——.”
Oct 03, 2:57 PM EDT
Republicans fail to block motion to vacate
The motion to table Gaetz’s own motion to vacate — which would have effectively killed his request before it received a vote — has failed, 208-218.
Eleven Republicans joined all Democrats in voting it down — setting up a key vote on the motion to vacate.
The failure of the motion to table suggests McCarthy’s speakership is in real jeopardy as he would need a majority of support of the chamber to back him in order to keep his role.
A vote on the motion to vacate is expected shortly. After the vote, McCarthy slumped in his chair in the second row.
-ABC News’ Adam Carlson
Oct 03, 2:35 PM EDT
House voting on motion to table Gaetz’s call to remove McCarthy
McCarthy ally Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., introduced a motion to table — or effectively kill — Gaetz’s effort to oust McCarthy.
Democrats then requested a voice vote on the motion, which is ongoing. It is a 15-minute vote.
Oct 03, 2:27 PM EDT
Ahead of vote, McCarthy and Gaetz spotted on the House floor
Speaker McCarthy and Rep. Gaetz are sitting just rows away from each other on the packed House floor ahead of votes on the motion to vacate.
Oct 03, 2:03 PM EDT
6 Republicans now support motion to vacate
Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., just announced his support for the motion to oust McCarthy.
“I have kept my promise to the people of Montana by voting to make us energy-dominant again, secure our border, cut spending, and to put an end to the social experiment being inflicted on our military,” Rosendale wrote in a post to X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Unfortunately, Kevin McCarthy violated his promise to the American people and the Republican Conference by working against them repeatedly and supporting ploys to aid the Left. This demonstration of failed leadership is exactly why I plan on supporting the motion to vacate this afternoon,” Rosendale added.
The five other Republicans who’ve said they want McCarthy removed are Rep. Matt Gaetz, Rep. Bob Good of Virginia, Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona, Rep. Eli Crane of Arizona and Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee.
-ABC News’ Katherine Faulders
Oct 03, 1:26 PM EDT
Democrats don’t plan to save McCarthy’s speakership
During a more than two-hour caucus meeting, Democrats were strongly encouraged to vote to not support Speaker McCarthy as he fights for his job, sources tell ABC News.
“It is now the responsibility of the GOP members to end the House Republican Civil War,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement. “Given their unwillingness to break from MAGA extremism in an authentic and comprehensive manner, House Democratic leadership will vote yes on the pending Republican Motion to Vacate the Chair.”
Several Democrats said they don’t plan to bail McCarthy out.
“We’re not voting in any way that would help save speaker McCarthy,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said.
Vice Chair of House Democratic caucus Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., said, “the leadership put out the facts and the caucus heard from a lot of members… we need a functioning government and speaker McCarthy has shown he cannot govern.”
Oct 03, 1:20 PM EDT
Has an effort to remove a House speaker ever succeeded?
A motion to vacate has only ever been voted on once, in 1910, in an effort to boot then-Speaker Joseph Cannon. The effort failed.
In 2015, then-Rep. Mark Meadows filed a resolution to force a vote on then-Speaker John Boehner’s leadership. But because Meadows didn’t introduce it on the House floor, it wasn’t taken up for consideration.
While history shows previous such efforts over the years have always failed — it’s possible this one could succeed.
(WASHINGTON) — Rep. Henry Cuellar offered his firsthand account Tuesday after he was carjacked at gunpoint Monday night.
“I was just coming into my place. Three guys came out of nowhere and they pointed guns at me. I do have a black belt, but I recognize when you got three, three guns — I looked at one with a gun and another with a gun, a third one behind me — So they said they wanted my car. I said, ‘Sure.’ You’ve got to keep calm under those situations. And then they took off,” Cuellar told reporters Tuesday morning on Capitol Hill.
Cuellar said police have recovered his car and his phone, and he thanked both U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.
“I’m a big law enforcement person. I got three brothers in law enforcement, so I certainly appreciate the good work that the police did,” he said.
President Joe Biden spoke with Cuellar today after he was carjacked last night, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said during Tuesday’s briefing.
“So what we saw happen, the — the reporting that we saw happen to the congressman, obviously was unacceptable. The president did have an opportunity to speak with the congressman today and we will always continue to speak out against any sort of violence, and we’ve been consistent here in this administration. We are certainly grateful and relieved that the congressman was unharmed, and we are thankful to the law enforcement to have reacted so quickly,” she said.
The Capitol Police and the FBI have leads in the investigation into the carjacking, according to a statement from Capitol Police.
“We have a number of leads,” said U.S. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger. “Our investigators are focused, determined and working around the clock.”
Cuellar was carjacked around 9:30 p.m. Monday night in the Navy Yard neighborhood of Washington, D.C. — just blocks away from the US Capitol, according to police. The congressman was approached by three men in black clothing and black masks, according to a statement he gave to police.
“According to the victim’s statements, the suspects ‘swarmed [the victim’s] vehicle, pointed firearms in his face and demanded the keys to the car.’ Thankfully there were not any injuries,” a statement from Capitol Police said. “A witness told investigators three males in knit caps and ski masks were involved. The witness reported that the suspects were 5’10” black males who may have been around the age of 16 due to their build.”
Washington surpassed 200 homicides thus far this year, D.C. police confirmed on Sept. 26 — a 28% rise compared to last year. The same grim milestone was reached on Dec. 29 of last year. The city has already exceeded 2022’s total homicide rate of 203, announced during a press conference held by Acting Police Chief Pamela Smith.
Some neighborhoods have suffered from the recent crime wave, including Ward 6, which includes the site where Cuellar was carjacked and is the largest ward in D.C. Armed robberies in Ward 6 are up 95%, according to the DC Police Union.
Carjackings are also up 57% in the district, and there have been over 720 carjackings year to date — “well more than two per day,” the police union said.
MPD has lost 1,400 officers since 2020. The police union has blamed the city council’s actions for the rise in crime.
ABC News’ Beatrice Peterson, Molly Nagle, Rachel Scott and Jack Date contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — Biden administration Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar delivered a forceful defense of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Tuesday during a heated Supreme Court argument over the constitutionality of the agency’s funding and its future as a bulwark against predatory financial services.
She faced off against former Trump administration Solicitor General Noel Francisco, representing a group of payday loan companies subjected to CFPB regulation and challenging its existence, who argued the agency’s structure is illegal and must be struck down.
Hanging in the balance is the consumer watchdog and banking regulator created by Congress after the 2008 financial crisis to protect Americans from predatory lending practices and deceptive financial products. Its regulations govern everything from credit cards to personal loans and home mortgages.
Prelogar told the justices that sidelining the CFPB and invalidating its regulations would create “profound disruption in various economic markets that would hurt the regulated entities themselves.”
The agency says it has won $17.5 billion in restitution from corporate wrongdoing and helped cancel debts for 200 million Americans.
But the CFPB, championed by progressives, has long faced the ire of Wall Street firms who see it as government regulation gone too far.
“This case is about checks and balances,” said Francisco. “One of Congress’s most important checks on executive power is its power of the purse.”
At the heart of the case, CFPB v. Community Financial Services, is how Congress decided to fund the new agency in 2010. It did so indirectly through the Federal Reserve, allowing it to draw whatever money it needs from the central bank’s funds — subject to a $600 million annual cap — rather than directly awarding a fixed amount on an annual basis.
A lower court found that the arrangement violated the Constitution’s Appropriations Clause because Congress did not pass a law specifying the amount of funds for CFPB, and that therefore all of the agency’s regulations should be invalidated.
Congress erred when it “authorized the CFPB to spend whatever it deems reasonably necessary in perpetuity, subject only to a cap so high it’s almost never relevant, all for the very purpose of making this the most independent agency in American history,” Francisco said.
But Prelogar insisted that historical precedent and the text of the Constitution clearly give Congress power to design and fund federal agencies as it pleases.
“Since the founding, Congress has consistently funded agencies through standing appropriations that are not time-limited and that provide significant discretion over how much to spend,” she said.
The court’s three liberal justices — at times joined by Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh — appeared to find Prelogar’s argument highly convincing.
“There’s nothing in the Appropriations Clause itself or in the word ‘appropriations’ that imposes the limits [on Congress] that you’re talking about,” Justice Barrett said to Francisco, the challengers’ attorney.
Justice Kavanaugh noted that if the arrangement was seen as problematic by poilcymakers, “Congress could change it tomorrow,” he said. “There’s nothing perpetual or permanent about this.”
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, in a prolonged and heated exchange with Francisco, became exasperated with his argument.
“Why isn’t this just up to Congress, and if they decide they want to set it up in this way, without limit, so be it?” she asked.
“Because, Your Honor, I think that that would be completely inconsistent with the entire purpose of separating the sword and purse,” Francisco shot back.
“So you’re saying a provision of the Constitution is unconstitutional?” Jackson shot back. “No, Your Honor,” he replied.
Several of the court’s conservatives seemed sympathetic with the challengers’ claims, openly grappling with the prospect of Congress effectively giving a blank check to the executive branch.
“You have a very aggressive view of Congress’ authority under the Appropriations Clause,” Chief Justice John Roberts said to Prelogar. “The more power you give Congress, I think, the more … that it can give away and enhance the authority of the executive.”
The case will be decided by the high court by the end of June 2024.
“If the Supreme Court sides with the Community Financial Services Agency, it could wreak havoc on the CFPB’s ability to carry out its consumer protection activities, and it could potentially invalidate existing rulemaking and enforcement activities. A closely divided Congress would likely need to intervene to restructure the agency’s funding mechanism to keep the CFPB alive,” said Mallory SoRelle, an assistant professor at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University.
In the meantime, the agency says it plans to continue operations.
“The CFPB protects American families from financial abuses and helps ensure honest businesses can compete on a level playing field,” said CFPB spokeswoman Allison Preiss in a statement following Tuesday’s oral arguments. “We are confident in the constitutionality of the statute that created the CFPB within the Federal Reserve System and provides its funding. We will continue to carry out the vital work Congress has charged us to perform.”
(WASHINGTON) — Hard-line Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz on Monday night introduced a motion to remove Kevin McCarthy from the House speakership, setting up a dramatic vote over the future of the chamber’s Republican majority.
The motion must be voted on within two legislative days, under House rules.
“Bring it on,” McCarthy soon responded on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Gaetz, a Florida lawmaker, had said on ABC’s This Week on Sunday that he would bring a so-called motion to vacate against McCarthy, criticizing how McCarthy has handled spending and budget fights since the GOP took control of the House in January and contending that McCarthy broke promises to other conservatives about how he would lead.
“Kevin McCarthy, at one point or another, has lied to all of us,” he said.
McCarthy has projected confidence about facing the motion, telling on CBS on Sunday: “I’ll survive.” He suggested Gaetz was motivated by a “personal” grudge, which Gaetz denies.
“Let’s get over with it. Let’s start governing,” McCarthy said. “If he’s upset because he tried to push us into a shutdown and I made sure government didn’t shut down, then let’s have that talk.”
McCarthy will need a majority of votes to beat back the motion, but Republicans hold only a five-seat majority. It’s unclear if Gaetz has more than a handful of other members who will support him, but at least one Democrat — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — has said she would vote to remove McCarthy.
No speaker has ever been removed in this way, though such motions have been attempted a few times in history.
Moments after he spoke on the House floor earlier on Monday, teasing that he would bring the motion against McCarthy, Gaetz conceded to ABC News that he may not have the votes to kick McCarthy out of his job as he addressed reporters outside the Capitol.
Asked by ABC News Senior Congressional Correspondent Rachel Scott if he would he try again if his efforts fail, Gaetz said, “Yeah.”
“Well, like I’ve said, 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,” he said.
(WASHINGTON) — Democratic Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar was carjacked at gunpoint Monday night near his residence in the Navy Yard area of Washington, D.C. just blocks from the Capitol.
An alert sent to congressional members stated three to four men held guns to his head and took his car and phone, sources told ABC News.
Cuellar’s chief of staff, Jacob Hochberg, confirmed the carjacking news in a statement to ABC News late Monday night.
“As Congressman Cuellar was parking his car this evening, 3 armed assailants approached the Congressman and stole his vehicle. Luckily, he was not harmed and is working with local law enforcement. Thank you to Metro PD and Capitol Police for their swift action and for recovering the Congressman’s vehicle,” his statement read.
The Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, D.C. did not confirm the victim’s identity.
In a statement to ABC News the department said: “There was a report of an armed carjacking that came in at approximately 9:32 pm at the intersection of New Jersey and K Street, Southeast. We do not have victim information at this time.”
As of Sunday, there were 750 carjackings in Washington, 75% of which involved guns, per D.C. Police.
(WASHINGTON) — The White House warned Monday that the U.S. has only enough money to meet Ukraine’s “urgent battlefield needs” in the short term, after Congress left additional funding for Ukraine out of a short-term measure to fund the U.S. government.
The federal government has about $6 billion left in military funding for Ukraine, according to U.S. officials.
“It is enough to — for us to meet the — meet Ukraine’s urgent battlefield needs for a bit — for a bit longer,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday.
About $5.4 billion of the funding is set aside to provide to provide weapons and other military equipment to Ukraine from existing American stocks, the officials said. That money resulted from an accounting error the Pentagon said it fixed earlier this year, an official said.
Another $1.6 billion remains from $25.9 billion Congress had previously provided to replenish those U.S. stocks, the officials said.
No money remains in a program meant to help Ukraine with long-term, new purchases of weapons and other material, known as the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, the officials said. And the U.S. has no money left to provide additional funding for Ukraine’s humanitarian, budgetary or economic needs, an official said.
The Pentagon has in recent days warned that money is running low — and that Congress’s fight over aid had impacted the U.S. military, too.
“We have already been forced to slow down the replenishment of our own forces to hedge against an uncertain funding future,” Pentagon Comptroller Michael McCord wrote to congressional leaders on Friday. “Failure to replenish our military services on a timely basis could harm our military’s readiness.”
President Joe Biden also cautioned on Sunday that “we have time, not much time, and there’s an overwhelming sense of urgency.”
His administration had asked for $24 billion more for Ukraine to cover the last three months of the calendar year. When Republicans signaled they would agree to extend government funding for just 45 more days – which Congress ultimately did — the White House said it needed $6 billion for that month-and-a-half.
But the short-term bill that kept the government funded through mid-November did not include any new money for Ukraine.
Taking questions about Congress narrowly averting a government shutdown over the weekend, Biden was asked if he was “going to be able to trust Speaker McCarthy when the next deal comes around.”
“We just made one about Ukraine,” Biden replied. “So, we’ll find out.”
But the president did not elaborate.
Rep. Matt Gaetz, Republican of Florida, has sought to oust McCarthy from his speakership and accused the Republican leader of striking a “secret side deal” with Biden over Ukraine funding.”
McCarthy on Monday denied that he cut a deal with Biden to hold a vote on Ukraine aid, but rather said he promised White House officials could meet with congressional staff to discuss the president’s request for more aid for Ukraine.
Jean-Pierre on Monday repeatedly declined to clarify what deal Biden had been referring to, or even say if Biden and McCarthy had even made some sort of deal. She also declined to say if the two had spoken in the past two weeks about Ukraine aid.
“When it relates to what the president said, I’m certainly not going to go beyond what he said,” Jean-Pierre told ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce. “But what we know, what we know is that there’s bipartisan support for this deal.”
She said McCarthy had spoken publicly “multiple times” on Sunday “saying that he wants to– he certainly wants to continue to– support for Ukraine, to get the weapons that they need.
“We’re gonna hold him to that,” Jean-Pierre said. “That is something that he has said. That is a commitment that he has made.”
ABC News’ Luis Martinez, John Parkinson and Lauren Peller contributed to this report.
Eleanor Dearman/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
(AUSTIN, Texas) — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was recently acquitted by the state Senate on 16 articles of impeachment, but the state’s top lawyer still has multiple legal battles ahead.
Paxton has been under an ongoing federal investigation in Texas since the fall of 2020, when the FBI began to probe allegations of abuse of office and misconduct brought by a group of whistleblowing former employees.
Many of those claims, which Paxton adamantly denies, were also the focus of the impeachment proceedings.
While a majority of the state House backed the articles of impeachment against Paxton, including many of his fellow Republicans, he was ultimately acquitted by the state Senate’s Republican majority.
State House Speaker Dade Phelan, a fellow Republican, said in a statement after Paxton’s acquittal that there had been “more than enough damning evidence to warrant impeachment” and that the trial was “not the end of this matter,” citing Paxton’s other legal troubles.
No charges have been filed against Paxton in the federal probe, and the Department of Justice announced in February that its Public Integrity Section would be taking over what was originally a state-led case.
Paxton has repeatedly said he did nothing wrong.
“Every allegation is easily disproved, and I look forward to continuing my fight for conservative Texas values,” he said in a statement issued in May, days before the State House of Representatives adopted 20 articles of impeachment against him.
In another statement following his acquittal, Paxton characterized the charges brought by the state House as “false allegations” and labeled the proceedings as a “sham” and “shameful.”
Separately, Paxton also faces a long-delayed trial on securities fraud charges that were announced shortly after he entered his first term as attorney general in 2015.
He is being accused of defrauding investors by encouraging them to fund a tech startup that he was, unbeknownst to them, being paid to promote. He has pleaded not guilty.
In an email sent to supporters shortly after the charges were announced, Paxton said he expected “to be fully vindicated of these charges when the full facts of this case come to light.”
The felony is punishable by up to 99 years in prison, and even if Paxton is convicted and put on probation, he will lose his legal license.
The securities fraud trial was most recently delayed due to the Senate impeachment trial but a new date is expected to be set during a scheduled Oct. 6 hearing.
Additionally, last week the Texas Supreme Court ruled in favor of four whistleblowers who asked the high court to lift an abatement placed in February that put their ongoing lawsuit proceedings on pause.
The former employees claim that Paxton violated the Texas Whistleblower Act when he allegedly fired them for reporting him to the FBI in 2020. The high court’s decision allows the suit to continue in district court.
Paxton previously called the whistleblowers “rogue employees” and dismissed what he has characterized as their “false allegations.” Paxton hired an outside law firm which produced what his office called in a May press release “a report that documents the … legitimate, non-retaliatory grounds for terminating each of these individuals.”
Paxton, however, had agreed to a multimillion-dollar settlement with the former employees in which he would apologize for calling them “rogue” but admitted no wrongdoing.
Paxton sought to have taxpayers cover the settlement, but the Legislature did not agree and the House began investigating him — leaving the suit in limbo amid the impeachment proceedings.
Paxton’s team did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment on Monday on the suit and he hasn’t addressed the lifting of the abatement.
Finally, last year, Paxton was also sued by the state bar over alleged professional misconduct for backing a lawsuit against the 2020 election results.
“No matter how much the partisan activists at the Texas State Bar retaliate against me and my staff for working to promote election integrity, secure our southern border, and fight for conservative values, I will not back down,” Paxton said in a September 2022 statement.
Oral arguments for the case were postponed until after the Senate trial and are set to begin on Nov. 15.
