Congressman Matt Gaetz says the calls to expel him from the House following the ouster of Kevin McCarthy are “crazy.” On Sunday, the Florida Republican appeared on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’ to defend his role in firing McCarthy and repeat his call to tamp down government spending. He also praised Reps—Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan–the two leading candidates for Speaker–as “great” choices.
Host Kristen Welker asked Gaetz about the blowback he has received from fellow Republicans, including calls to have him removed from the GOP conference and even Congress.
“If you lose your job, will it be worth it?” she asked Gaetz.
“Absolutely,” he replied.
“I am here to fight for my constituents and I’m here to ensure that America is not on a path to financial ruin. Your average American family right now is spending $700 more each and every month for the same household goods and services.”
Gaetz maintained that out-of-control government spending was a primary factor in his push to remove McCarthy. According to him, McCarthy’s support for a continuing resolution in late September was the last nail in the coffin.
“People are going to be crushed and debt and inflation are driven by government spending that cannot continue,” Gaetz continued. “We’re spending $7 trillion a year and taking in five. So, to me, people who are willing to drive $2 trillion annual deficits are the agents of chaos. The people who want budgets are actually agents of regular order.”
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EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) responds to reports of Republican colleagues seeking to kick him out of Congress.@kwelkernbc: “If you lose your job, will it be worth it?”@RepMattGaetz: “Absolutely.” pic.twitter.com/QKtps0oX1l
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) October 8, 2023
Gaetz also addressed the criticism that he “undermined” national security by leaving its top leadership job vacant. Since McCarthy’s removal, critics say that foreign aid to Ukraine has run dangerously low. Meanwhile, Hamas militants have launched an unprecedented and deadly offensive against Israel. The newest date to avert a government shutdown is just over a month away–November 17.
“I don’t think other countries think about Kevin McCarthy’s speakership quite as much as Kevin McCarthy does,” Gaetz told Welker. “We’ll have a new speaker next week and we’ll be prepared to do our work.”
Two House Republicans have officially launched bids to become the next Speaker of the House: Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio and Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana. The election is expected to be determined by mid-week.
“Yes. If either of those men get the most support of the conference, I’m eager to vote for him on the floor,” Gaetz commented.
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DeSantis reacts to the chaotic speaker fight in DC:
“The people that are struggling to buy groceries…don’t really care who the Speaker of the House is — they just want to see the job get done.” pic.twitter.com/a3B6QODJog
— DeSantis War Room 🐊 (@DeSantisWarRoom) October 8, 2023
Other Republicans have been more skeptical of the drama unfolding on Capitol Hill, however. In an appearance on Fox News Sunday, Governor Ron DeSantis described the pending speaker election as “theater.”
“What I’ve seen up there in Washington for both parties is a lot of theater. There’s a lot of things that are done; it’s performative, but it’s not ultimately leading to anything,” said DeSantis, a former three-term Congressman.
“[Americans] don’t really care who the speaker of the House is, they just want to see the job get done,”
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