Kevin McCarthy Motion to Vacate Paper Found in Bathroom

A motion to remove House Speaker Kevin McCarthy from the top Congressional office was allegedly found in a bathroom at the United States Capitol building on Tuesday.

Journalist Matt Laslo wrote in a post to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, that a motion to vacate from Representative Matt Gaetz, a Florida Republican who has been a staunch McCarthy critic, was found in a bathroom located beneath the House floor Tuesday afternoon.

Newsweek has not immediately verified the legitimacy of the document. When reached by Newsweek Tuesday afternoon, a Gaetz spokesperson declined to comment. Newsweek also reached out to McCarthy's office for comment via email.

McCarthy, a California Republican, has faced threats from GOP hardliners to vacate the office of the speaker amid a battle to fund the government through the next fiscal year. The Speaker has sought to strike a deal to appease both the party's most conservative members, as well as moderates representing Congressional districts won by President Joe Biden in 2020, before the end-of-the-month deadline to avert a government shutdown. This task has proven difficult due to Republicans' razor-thin margins in the House of Representatives.

Some conservative lawmakers have indicated they would support a motion to vacate the Speakership if McCarthy's deal does not sufficiently meet their demands, or if he opts to turn to moderate Democrats to strike a deal to keep the government open.

The resolution reads, "Resolved, That the office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives is hereby declared." The resolution features Gaetz's name. It has not been formally filed, nor was the resolution signed by the Congressman.

Politico reporter Jordain Carney wrote on X that Gaetz said he had not seen the post about the document, and that it is ultimately up to McCarthy whether he will file a motion to vacate.

As the GOP-led House races to pass funding by the end of the month, several Republican members of Congress have backed a Continuing Resolution (CR) that would keep government funding at current levels, while also imposing a nearly 8 percent cut on most federal agencies, to avoid a shutdown while members of Congress continue to negotiate a spending package.

The CR—backed by Republicans Byron Donalds of Florida, Dusty Johnson of South Dakota, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, Stephanie Bice of Oklahoma, Chip Roy of Texas, and Kelly Armstrong of North Dakota—also makes concessions to the most conservative members of Congress by not including additional funding for Ukraine.

However, many House conservatives have already said they would vote against the CR, casting doubt on whether it has enough support to pass the House.

The motion to vacate sparked many critics of the GOP to note the party's "chaos" as McCarthy scrambles to strike a funding deal.

"OMG. Matt Gaetz officially drafted a resolution that reads, "Declaring the office of Speaker of the House of Representatives to be vacant." The Republican Party is in so much chaos & disarray. "Speaker" McCarthy is about to go through some things. Thoughts & prayers," political commentator Victor Shi wrote on X.