Shortly after Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) became the first Speaker of the House to be removed by a vote of Congress in U.S. history, some of the more bipartisan members of the GOP caucus turned their anger on Democrats for not giving him the votes to survive — and are threatening to mass resign from a key bipartisan working group in protest, reported CNN's Melanie Zanona.
"Republicans on the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus are considering quitting the group “en masse” after Democrats in the group voted to oust McCarthy, per a GOP member of the group," wrote Zanona on X. "Latest sign of fallout after the historic removal of the speaker."
One Republican Problem Solver, Zanona wrote, complained to her that “Dem PSC members only want problem solvers to work when they are in the majority.”
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The Problem Solvers Caucus is a centrist group that focuses on pushing legislation that breaks through gridlock.
According to Zanona, some of the Democratic members of PSC had been "considering" a vote to help McCarthy, but ultimately, zero Democrats cast a vote to save him — possibly driven by the fact that McCarthy had never offered any tangible concessions in return, and even made the rounds on TV blaming Democrats for the standoff over the last few weeks that nearly led to a government shutdown.
McCarthy's ouster comes following protest by far-right Republicans, chiefly Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who accused him of violating some of the promises he made to hardliners as a condition of securing their Speakership vote. What happens next is unclear, with the House unable to do regular business until a new Speaker is seated and Republicans left to decide who to nominate for a new potential round of voting.
