At a House Freedom Caucus press conference on Tuesday, Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC) became the first Republican to publicly express his support for removing Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) as speaker of the House due to his involvement in the debt ceiling deal with President Joe Biden’s administration.
“I think it’s got to be done,” Bishop said. “I’m just fed up with the lies, I’m fed up with the lack of courage, the cowardice. And I intend to see to it that there is somebody who’s prepared to say what needs to be done.”
He then added that he would decide in conjunction with others if he should file a motion for a vote on removing McCarthy as Speaker.
Many conservatives have voiced their disagreement with McCarthy’s debt ceiling agreement but Bishop was alone in advocating for its consequences.
Ousting McCarthy from his position as Speaker of the House. Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) commented that if he and other Republicans could not kill this bill on the floor tomorrow then they would have to “re-group and figure out” new leadership arrangements altogether.
Rep Andy Biggs (R-AZ) echoed these sentiments, saying “[t]his bill indicates exactly why I have concerns about him being Speaker”.
Rep Bob Good (R-VA) argued that this agreement demonstrated a failure of leadership for Republicans because it surrendered all leverage and strength they had in controlling Congress during this critical time frame of negotiation and debate.
It remains unclear whether or not enough Republicans will join Bishop in calling for McCarthy’s removal but one thing is certain, this situation brings into question how much power Republican members of Congress possess and how effective their leadership has been thus far under McCarthy’s term as Speaker of the House.
Rep. Dan Bishop:
"This bill, if it passes, must pass with less than half of the Republican conference." pic.twitter.com/VKG7T6D5ss
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) May 30, 2023
House Freedom Caucus sounds open to filing a motion to vacate the chair if McCarthy pushes through the debt deal.pic.twitter.com/oC9ib6uCjE
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) May 30, 2023
The cheerleading for this disaster deal goes beyond the usual spin and obfuscation into flat-out lies.
Breaking down the details now on @RealAmVoice ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/uAVQrKBbE6
— Rep. Dan Bishop (@RepDanBishop) May 30, 2023
