Republican Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz said Thursday he opposes the “Speaker-light” strategy of backing Republican North Carolina Rep. Patrick McHenry as a temporary speaker.
Gaetz’s motion to vacate led to the ousting of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy from leadership with the support of eight Republicans and all House Democrats in an Oct. 3 floor vote. Two floor votes in October failed to result in a speaker due to twenty-two Republican representatives voting against Republican Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, the speaker-designate.
Gaetz, who endorsed Jordan, opposed the Ohio congressman’s decision to back McHenry as the temporary speaker until January. Jordan confirmed his intention to remain in the race in hopes of obtaining the gavel.
“I’m against Speaker-light. I’m against Bud Light. I believe it is a constitutional desecration to not elect a Speaker of the House,” Gaetz told a reporter in the halls of Congress on Thursday. “We need to stay here until we elect a speaker, and if someone can’t get the votes, we need to move on to the next person. But, twisting and torturing the constitution to empower a temporary speaker is having a speaker-light. That is not constitutionally contemplated, it is deeply infirm and I will do everything possible to stop it.”
A number of House Republicans told the Daily Caller on Thursday members of their party are voting against Jordan to spite Gaetz. (RELATED: Jim Jordan Fails To Become Speaker Of The House In Second Round Of Votes)
“I have been told by a good number of people that their objection isn’t personal to Jim. It is that voting in Jordan is perceived to be rewarding Matt Gaetz and the rest of the eight. Others have indicated that some of Jim’s supporters wouldn’t support Scalise and so the holdouts won’t support Jordan,” Republican Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs told the Caller.
“The American people want a speaker who will be honest and represent them, not business as usual in Washington. It is disgraceful for a number of elected officials, many of them in safe GOP districts, to oppose Jim Jordan purely to spite Matt Gaetz,” Republican South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace told the Daily Caller.
Jordan received 199 votes in the second floor vote Wednesday, missing the necessary 217 votes required for a nominee to become speaker. Two Republicans — New York Reps. Andrew Garbarino and Anthony D’Esposito — voted for former New York gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin. Others voted for McCarthy, Majority Leader Steve Scalise and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer.