Matt Gaetz sends an unsubtle shot across Kevin McCarthy’s bow

With Labor Day having come and gone, Congress’ summer break is wrapping up, with senators returning to Capitol Hill this week, and House members getting back to work next week. Collectively, they’re confronting a lengthy to-do list — along with some tough deadlines.

At the top of the list, of course, is funding federal operations and preventing a government shutdown by the end of the month, but it’s not the only task lawmakers have to complete in the coming weeks. There’s also work on a new farm bill, the need to reauthorize the FAA, funding for domestic disaster relief, and a new round of aid to our Ukrainian allies.

But for some Republican members, there’s an entirely different priority weighing heavily on their minds.

Last week, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene declared her intention to move toward a government shutdown unless GOP leaders advanced an impeachment push against President Joe Biden. “I’ve already decided I will not vote to fund the government unless we have passed an impeachment inquiry on Joe Biden,” the Georgia Republican said.

On Tuesday, as The Hill reported, one of Greene’s cohorts made related comments, which were likely noticed by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

“I worked very hard in January to develop a toolkit for House Republicans to use in a productive and positive way. I don’t believe we’ve used those tools as effectively as we should have,” Gaetz told a conservative radio host, adding that when the lower chamber gets back to work next week, the GOP majority has to “seize the initiative.”

“That means forcing votes on impeachment,” the Florida Republican said. “And if Speaker McCarthy stands in our way, he may not have the job long.”

Have I mentioned that there's literally zero evidence of Biden having done anything wrong? And there's no reason whatsoever to begin an impeachment inquiry? Because there’s literally zero evidence of Biden having done anything wrong and there’s no reason whatsoever to begin an impeachment inquiry.

Gaetz didn’t go into specific details about the strategy he has in mind, but the unsubtle threat directed at his party’s House speaker was almost certainly a reference to motion-to-vacate-the-chair rules that were tweaked in January to make it easier for GOP members to try to take McCarthy’s gavel away.

Gaetz’s comments also came just a few days after Republican Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho said that House GOP leaders would likely have to work with Democrats to prevent a shutdown, which would complicate the larger partisan dynamic.

“The challenge for McCarthy, and I’ll be real honest with you, is that if he works with the Democrats, obviously, the Democrats are not going to do it for free. They want something. So, it’s going to be a compromise — one of those really bad words in Washington for some reason,” Simpson told CNN. “Then you’re going to find a resolution introduced on the floor to vacate the chair.”

Looking ahead, there’s no obvious path for the House speaker. If he tries to satisfy Greene and Gaetz by holding a floor vote on an impeachment inquiry, it would likely fail. If McCarthy doesn’t hold the vote, some of his members would likely push Congress closer to a government shutdown.

If the speaker tries to advance appropriations bills to prevent a shutdown, they’d likely fail. If he tries to pass a stopgap spending measure, members of the House Freedom Caucus have already said they’ll balk unless Republican leaders agree to meet a series of outlandish demands.

All the while, McCarthy is trying to navigate these waters knowing that if he pursues a course some of his members don’t like, they’ll try to fire him — and as Gaetz’s rhetoric helped demonstrate, such talk has advanced beyond mere whispers.

Watch this space.