McCarthy is on the way out.
With a government shutdown imminent, the Speaker is on his last leg.
Kevin McCarthy is on the path to destruction. Under his watch (with the help of some radical Republicans in the Freedom Caucus) we are heading toward a complete government shutdown. Here’s what that means:
Millions of people will now be ousted into poverty. For example, a friend of mine who is in the National Guard and gets college paid for by the military may now be required to take out a loan in order to keep going to school. These are the people affected by a shutdown. Others will lose benefits such as SNAP, WIC, etc. and those will run out quicker than you’d think. Especially with the rising cost of food, childcare, and housing, this could be catastrophic for millions of families across the country.
It appears that the disagreements among the Republicans may result in a government collapse. This situation could ultimately fall on McCarthy's shoulders, as he was previously kept out of the Speaker of the House position by the very same individuals who are now ensuring that the government fails under his leadership. It seems delusional for him to struggle for power when he only obtained the position out of necessity and not by choice. Freedom Caucus members will ensure he remembers his position clearly in the next 48 hours.
In early 2023, Kevin McCarthy faced a historic event as he failed to secure the Speaker position, a role that had been continuously voted for the past century. McCarthy's unpopularity was evident, with Democrats and even some Republicans, particularly the extreme ones like Matt Gaetz, opposing him. Gaetz, an ultraconservative leader, demanded significant cuts in spending from McCarthy, such as making sure we no longer supported the Ukrainian war.
The difference between the number of seats held by the House Republicans and Democrats is just four, which is quite insignificant when compared to the total number of representatives in office, which currently stands at 435. This means that it should be relatively easy for McCarthy to initiate work on a bill that receives bipartisan support and gets the government functioning. However, pursuing such a course of action could potentially jeopardize his current position of power, something he is unlikely to want.
So we will suffer. The people of the United States— teachers, military, police, firefighters, and many more will go without pay while still being told to put food on the table. Matt Gaetz, Kevin McCarthy, along all the others in Congress will get paid this coming week. The same can’t be said for the rest of government workers. The actions of the Republican party will harm everyone in some way.
Gaetz spoke hypocritical words today. “So it may get worse before it gets better but I have little to offer but blood, sweat, toil, and tears but that may be what it takes.” He is saying it will get worse for us, not for him. As I stated earlier, he will still get paid no matter what happens— a good amount at that. The House of Representatives members make $174,000 a year. That is around $14,000 a month, more than triple what the median household in the United States makes. If he has “little to offer”, then why should he be in this important, high-paying position?
He shouldn’t be. Until we start standing up against them— Gaetz, McCarthy, and their Republican colleagues will continue to stain this country with their divisive, stubborn, controlling behavior.