White House Mocks Matt Gaetz, Says 'Worst Person' Made Great Point

The White House has mocked Matt Gaetz after the Florida Republican told reporters a government shutdown would be "absolutely Speaker McCarthy's fault," adding that "we cannot blame Joe Biden for not having moved our individual spending bills."

On X, formerly Twitter, the White House reposted a journalist who quoted Gaetz, adding a screenshot of a satirical news article turned meme titled "Heartbreaking: The Worst Person You Know Just Made A Great Point." The message went viral, receiving over 16,000 reposts and 10.7 million views.

A partial shutdown of the U.S. government will take place on October 1 unless Congress agrees to more funding, with Republicans and Democrats already locking horns over who is to blame.

Speaking to the congressional press corps on Wednesday, Gaetz argued that Kevin McCarthy, who he's clashed with repeatedly, could bear ultimate responsibility.

Referencing his fellow Republican, Gaetz said: "We will have a government shutdown and it is absolutely Speaker McCarthy's fault. We cannot blame Joe Biden for not having moved our individual spending bills. We cannot blame House Democrats. We can't even blame [Senate Majority Leader] Chuck Schumer in the Senate."

Newsweek has contacted Representative Gaetz for comment by email.

Gaetz last week threatened to call repeated votes to remove McCarthy as speaker, or motions to vacate, unless he makes additional concessions to Republican hardliners. He is demanding a more aggressive stance toward impeaching President Joe Biden, including the issuing of subpoenas, and the release of footage from the January 6, 2021, storming of Congress in full.

Addressing McCarthy, he said: "We're either going to get compliance, or we're going to start having votes on motions to vacate, and we're gonna have them regularly. I don't anticipate them passing immediately. But I think that, you know, if we have to begin every single day in Congress with the prayer, the pledge and the motion to vacate, so be it."

McCarthy reportedly hit back at his critics at a closed door GOP meeting on September 14, commenting: "If you think you scare me because you want to file a motion to vacate, move the f****** motion."

Speaking to Newsweek, Thomas Gift, a political scientist who heads the Centre on U.S. Politics at University College London, said: "That McCarthy has been as successful as he has - both in keeping his job title and in inking past deals like averting a debt ceiling calamity - speaks to his political acumen. But there's only so far a leader can bend without breaking. Increasingly, McCarthy looks like he's being stretched to his limits by the right flank of his party."

Unless Congress provides more money, the U.S. government will partially shut down on October 1, resulting in thousands of federal workers being furloughed while federal law enforcement and active military personnel would have to work without pay until a solution is found.

In a warning issued on Monday, the White House said: "While President Biden has been in New York this week showcasing America's global leadership on the world stage, extreme House Republicans are consumed by chaos and marching our country toward a government shutdown that would damage our communities, economy, and national security."

Senior House Republicans have been trying to unite their caucus around a bill that would extend government funding through October 31, in return for an 8 percent spending cut for most federal departments, with exceptions for defense and veterans affairs, and the restoration of a border security bill voted through in 2022.

However, around 15 GOP hardliners are holding out, pushing for even deeper spending cuts. Even if passed by the House, the legislation would have to be approved by the Senate, where Democratic affiliated lawmakers have a majority.