Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) tried to attribute the current upheaval in the House on Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and “seven useful idiots,” stating that their successful removal of previous Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) last autumn is directly responsible for the challenges faced by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) today.
Lawler censured other party members for diminishing Johnson’s ability to negotiate in the ongoing dispute on aid to Ukraine and Israel, which is currently being debated in the House against opposition from certain conservatives.
The House is preparing for a Saturday vote on an intricate proposal to promote a foreign aid package that includes funding for Ukraine and Israel.
“Some of these folks have nobody to blame but themselves for why Speaker Johnson’s hand in negotiations has been weakened. It’s their actions that have done that.” He said during a recent interview with Anderson Cooper.
“I look at this very simply. In October, the House was thrown into chaos by Matt Gaetz and seven useful idiots that teamed up with him within the Republican Conference and 208 Democrats.” he continued.
“And at this moment — when you see what happened in the aftermath of vacating the chair and Israel attacked in a terrorist attack a week later, to do that again would be detrimental to the country and global security.” he concluded.
Republicans who are against the plan have expressed their dissatisfaction, and two GOP legislators, Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.) and Thomas Massie (Ky.), have stated that they will support a vote to remove Johnson from his position. Thus far, both individuals have been reluctant to initiate such action.
McCarthy was ousted from his Speakership in the previous autumn when Gaetz and seven other House GOP members sided with Democrats to depose the California Republican from his position, causing a three-week paralysis in the lower house.
Lawler expressed assurance that the foreign aid legislation will be approved by the House, despite the threats made against Johnson.
The House Rules Committee successfully moved forward a set of foreign aid proposals on Thursday evening, with the assistance solely from Democrats.
There has been significant pushback to the proposed from conservative observers for what they believe are its capitulation to liberal demands while getting nothing in return.
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