Kevin McCarthy doesn't rule out returning as speaker while House remains frozen
WASHINGTON — Ousted former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., signaled that he's open to being reinstated as House speaker after a handful of conservative hardliners removed him from his post last week.
At a press conference Monday morning, where McCarthy reiterated U.S. support for Israel after Hamas militants attacked Israeli-controlled areas, the California lawmaker did not rule out returning to the speakership.
“That’s a decision by the conference,” McCarthy said when asked about the prospects of him becoming speaker again. “I’ll allow the conference to make whatever decision. Whether I’m speaker or not, I’m a member of this body … I can lead in any position it is.”
The House is currently paralyzed and cannot pass any legislation without a speaker, including crucial government funding or international aid. As fighting intensifies in the Middle East, the war between Israel and Hamas could pressure House Republicans to elect a new speaker quickly.
GOP lawmakers will meet Monday night to discuss next steps ahead of a candidate forum Tuesday to hear from prospective speakers. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., and House Judiciary Chair Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, are the only two lawmakers currently running for the speakership.
Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., a moderate House Republican, criticized McCarthy’s ouster Saturday as “idiotic” in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
“The House should immediately reinstate McCarthy and stop screwing around,” Lawler said in the post.
McCarthy, who was ousted by just 8 GOP lawmakers and House Democrats, on Monday alluded to how an overwhelming majority of the House GOP conference supported him. He said it was “wrong” for him to be ousted by such a small sliver of House Republicans.
“I’m going to allow the conference to do their work but the one thing I would ask my conference,” McCarthy said. “You have 96% of the conference in one place and you’re allowing 4% with the Democrats playing politics … That is wrong.”