Wisconsin Rep. Derrick Van Orden expresses his disappointment in the actions of his fellow Republican colleagues. In a historic move, Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy was removed from his position on Tuesday. This motion was initiated by Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz from Florida.
“Nope. You and the Crazy 8’s owe America a plan. You did not have one and still do not have one. You own this.” – Derrick Van Orden
Gaetz initiated the unprecedented motion, prompting the vote to remove McCarthy, marking an event that has not occurred in over a century. As a result, the House is now tasked with electing a new Speaker, with the vote anticipated to occur next week. The motion passed with a vote of 216 to 210, as eight Republicans sided with Democrats in favor of removing McCarthy from the speakership. McCarthy informed lawmakers that he would not seek re-election, currently leaving the position vacant, according to CNN.
The ousting has left room for speculation. McCarthy cites personal reasons and suggests Gaetz’s action stems from his decision to not assist in “tamping down an ethics investigation”. However, Gaetz claims that his move against McCarthy is linked to job performance. Others speculate that the decision could be related to providing funding for Ukraine. However, McCarthy clarified that “did not make a deal with the White House on supplemental aid for Ukraine”. Furthermore, the 71-page short-term Continuing Resolution that was passed over the weekend to prevent a government shutdown, under the leadership of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, does not include provisions for new financial assistance to Ukraine, according to CNN.
On Tuesday, Republicans vying for the role of Speaker will present their case. Some of the reported Republicans who might be considering a run include House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan, Republican Study Committee Chairman Kevin Hern, and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, CNN reports.
“Conservatives Remove McCarthy as Speaker: Turns out there’s very few in the House of Representatives that have a backbone: Rep. Andy Biggs, Rep. Tim Burchett, Rep. Ken Buck, Rep. Eli Crane, Rep. Matt Gaetz, Rep. Bob Good, Rep. Nancy Mace, and Rep. Rosendale,” said Lou Dobbs, American conservative political commentator, in a post on the X platform. “It appears the rest of the 200+ Republicans wanted to let Speaker McCarthy continue his backroom deals with the Marxist Dems.”
Van Orden replied to Gaetz’ post on the X platform, stating Gaetz had no plan before his decision to vote McCarthy out. “Our work is not over,” said Gaetz in his post. “We must put the House on a new and better path. In doing so we will lean heavily on the courage, insight and experience of the warriors you know & love – even if they weren’t part of the 8 who undertook the last mission. People like Chip Roy, Lauren Boebert, Rep. Scott Perry, Byron Donalds, Andy Ogles,
Rep. Victoria Spartz, Cory Mills, Rep. Ralph Norman, Rep. Dan Bishop, Rep. Thomas Massie and MANY MORE great conservatives are fighting for you every day. The McCarthy Era is over. Let’s not dwell on it. Let’s move forward with a better Speaker. And let’s keep winning. Focus.”
“Did anyone bother to ask what deal Matt Gaetz & the Crazy 8’s made with the Democrats to secure their votes?,” said Van Orden in another post on the X platform. “Does anyone think that 208 Democrats voted to remove a Speaker because he was a RINO? That dog don’t hunt. They got played & if you back them, so did you.”
