U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz and other Republicans coming out in strong opposition to the debt ceiling compromise are doing so in part because they don't have another setting, according to a former Democratic Congressman.
Former Rep. Conor Lamb, of Pennsylvania, was part of a panel on MSNBC's The 11th Hour With Stephanie Ruhle on Tuesday. Ruhle asked Lamb if he thinks Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R) was at risk of losing his speakership over the deal, which was advanced by a committee earlier in the night to a full House vote set up for the next day.
Lamb said that he doesn't think McCarthy will lose his speakership over the disagreements, saying "the difference with whoever they would replace him with would be minimal, and I don't see how it would go to anyone's benefit."
Lamb did, however, use the time to call out Gaetz, who threatened McCarthy's speakership over the tentative deal already, and fellow Republican Chip Roy, who urged his colleagues to reject the deal.
"What you're seeing is the Matt Gaetzes and Chip Roys of the world are being revealed: they only know what they are against and they really don't have much of an idea of what they're for, as far as anything they can accomplish," Lamb said.
He added that individuals like this tend to lash out against a lot of things, but are not necessarily getting things done.
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"So the idea of just lashing out... and the words that Chip Roy was using: kill the bill, end the speakership, they only know how to put a stop to things they don't like... that's the language they're using because they have nothing else to say."
