4 October 2023
DULUTH U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber harshly criticized a handful of fellow Republicans who triggered the ouster of the Speaker of the House of Representatives for the first time in American history.
Stauber was among 210 Republicans who voted against the effort to remove Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday afternoon. But eight defectors, led by Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, joined forces with 208 Democrats to vacate McCarthy’s position just nine months into his tenure.
“Matt Gaetz and a handful of other selfish Republicans have no interest in governing,” Stauber, a third-term congressman from Hermantown, said in a statement. “They care more about fundraising and making a name for themselves than getting the hard work done for the American people.
“I will continue to stand with the vast majority of our House Republican Conference as we push back against the chaos created by Matt Gaetz and his Democrat allies.”
Stauber, who has long been allied with McCarthy, previously supported the California Republican in a grueling, 15-ballot election for the speakership when Congress convened in January.
He said McCarthy continued to have his “full support,” calling Tuesday a “sad day for America.”
“Speaker McCarthy and House Republicans have consistently delivered strong results for the American people, who are hurting thanks to the policies of the Biden Administration,” Stauber said. “Under his conservative and steadfast leadership, House Republicans have passed bills to cut $2 trillion in spending, reduce energy costs, enact commonsense work requirements, restore order at the southern border and much more.”
McCarthy’s removal comes just days after he struck a bipartisan agreement to narrowly avoid a federal government shutdown.
Stauber on Saturday was one of 126 House Republicans who supported the continuing resolution, just hours before funding was to expire. With 90 Republicans disapproving, the bill passed with the support of all but one of 210 House Democrats who voted.
The bill keeps government offices open through Nov. 17 and provides billions of dollars for disaster recovery efforts, but it does not include funding for Ukraine in its ongoing defense against Russian invasion.
Stauber, in a statement that night, criticized “the weight of inflation caused by years of reckless spending under Democrat one-party rule” and said he supported an earlier version of the bill to “reduce wasteful spending, secure the border, pay our troops and keep the government open.”
“What the House and Senate passed (Saturday) was the best remaining option,” he said. “I supported this bill so the government will remain open, and our troops and border patrol agents will get paid while providing Congress with more time to finish our work and pass fiscally responsible government funding bills.”
Several far-right Republicans, however, considered the bipartisan deal the final straw in their strained relationship with McCarthy. Gaetz, known as an outspoken provocateur in the party, filed the motion to vacate the speaker’s chair late Monday.
“I have enough Republicans where at this point next week, one of two things will happen: Kevin McCarthy won’t be the speaker of the House or he’ll be the speaker of the House working at the pleasure of the Democrats,” he told reporters ahead of the vote.
Stauber has a long-running relationship with McCarthy, dating back to before he was even elected to Congress. McCarthy, in an earlier stint as house majority leader, was among the dignitaries who traveled to Duluth with President Donald Trump in 2018, sharing a stage with then-candidate Stauber in a rally at Amsoil Arena.
McCarthy’s removal leaves the House without a leader at a critical time, as a longer-term funding package must still be negotiated before funding again expires in a little over six weeks. Meanwhile, the GOP-led chamber has been pursuing an impeachment inquiry against Biden over his son’s business dealings, despite no clear evidence of wrongdoing by the president.
Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-North Carolina, is currently serving as speaker pro tempore pending the election of a new leader, which must come with majority support from members present and voting.
Majority Whip Tom Emmer, of Minnesota, has frequently been floated as a potential speaker candidate, along with Majority Leader Steve Scalise, of Louisiana.
Stauber’s office did not respond to an inquiry from the News Tribune about Stauber’s support for the next speaker.
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