McCarthy moves on ouster maneuver

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Oct 03, 2023 View in browser   By Garrett Ross Presented by Speaker Kevin McCarthy is set to bring forward a resolution that could end in his ouster this afternoon. | Francis Chung/POLITICO Speaker KEVIN McCARTHY is putting his speakership on the line today. The embattled GOP leader is expected to call up a vote on the House floor this afternoon on the motion to vacate that Rep. MATT GAETZ (R-Fla.) has threatened against him, setting up a high-stakes showdown between the Republican rivals that could end in McCarthy’s ouster from power. The state of play: McCarthy told his conference in a private meeting this morning that he would bring the resolution (which is actually a motion to table the motion to vacate) up this afternoon. McCarthy can manage no more than four Republican defections on the votes, assuming every Democrat declines to support McCarthy. So what about the Dems? House Minority Leader HAKEEM JEFFRIES and his fellow Democrats won’t swoop in to save McCarthy, the Democratic leader stated in a Dear Colleague letter this morning, leaving the decision entirely in Republicans’ hands. “We are ready, willing and able to work together with our Republican colleagues, but it is on them to join us,” Jeffries told reporters today. Read Jeffries’ Dear Colleague letter  There was chatter that a cohort of centrist Dems might join forces with McCarthy to pad his numbers, but our colleagues Sarah Ferris and Nicholas Wu spoke with half a dozen of the key faction this morning, who said that McCarthy had “given them no incentive to salvage his besieged speakership.” McCarthy’s mood: Speaking to reporters at the Capitol this morning, McCarthy plainly stated the difficult math that he faces: “If five Republicans go with Democrats, then I’m out,” he said, prompting ABC’s Rachel Scott to reply: “That seems likely.” McCarthy responded, simply: “Probably so.” What else McCarthy is saying: “They haven’t asked for anything. I’m not going to provide anything,” he told CNBC, regarding Democrats potentially brokering a deal to save him “That doesn’t work,” he told reporters at the Capitol today about a potential power-sharing agreement with Democrats The anti-McCarthy group: Reps. ELI CRANE (R-Ariz.), BOB GOOD (R-Va.), TIM BURCHETT (R-Tenn.) and Gaetz. Interestingly, Rep. VICTORIA SPARTZ (R-Ind.) said in a post on X that she will vote to allow the motion to vacate to come up on the floor for a vote, but she ultimately won’t vote to oust McCarthy once the motion to vacate is brought forward. Others to watch: Rep. ANDY BIGGS (R-Ariz.) — who tweeted yesterday against McCarthy but later said he was unaware of the post made by his staff. Rep. ANDY OGLES (R-Tenn.), who has not said how he will vote, is floating potential successors in a post on X. So what comes next? Should McCarthy indeed go down on the motion to vacate, a process for choosing a new speaker would commence. Our colleagues report that no clear name has emerged as a replacement for McCarthy. And then there’s this: “Many Republicans have vowed to renominate McCarthy to the position and not allow the House to adjourn until he retakes the speakership,” WaPo’s Marianna Sotomayor, Amy Wang, Leigh Ann Caldwell and Paul Kane report. Follow along with our ace Hill team for all the latest drama on Inside Congress Live HEADS UP — “Hunter Biden pleads not guilty on federal gun charges,” by NBC’s Katherine Doyle in Wilmington, Del. Good Tuesday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at gross@politico.com.   A message from Meta: In the metaverse, mechanics train to master crucial engine repairs. Aviation companies like Lufthansa Technik use VR training programs to help mechanics effectively learn and practice crucial repairs, over and over. As a result, mechanics get more hands-on training hours—helping them be prepared to keep engines in top condition. Explore the impact.   CONGRESS WELCOME TO WASHINGTON — LAPHONZA BUTLER’s selection by California Gov. 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Instead of appearing side-by-side, they will now sit for two separate, back-to-back segments. The RNC approved of the new format, according to another person familiar with the matter and granted anonymity to discuss it freely.”   GROWING IN THE GOLDEN STATE: POLITICO California is growing, reinforcing our role as the indispensable insider source for reporting on politics, policy and power. From the corridors of power in Sacramento and Los Angeles to the players and innovation hubs in Silicon Valley, we're your go-to for navigating the political landscape across the state. Exclusive scoops, essential daily newsletters, unmatched policy reporting and insights — POLITICO California is your key to unlocking Golden State politics. 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The topline takeaway? “The unrelenting aggressiveness that is his greatest strength is also Smith’s greatest weakness.” “Alongside his legal victories — and there have been many in three decades of prosecutorial activity large and small (he once nabbed a birthday party clown turned stickup artist dubbed the Lotto Bandit) — his willingness to push into areas that more risk-averse prosecutors would not have touched has undone him more than once. In some of his biggest cases — going after senators, a governor, a notorious cop killer — he reached for an outcome that he could not achieve.” COMING TO THE COURTS — “Young People Left in Limbo as Battle Over Transgender Care Shifts to Court,” by NYT’s Ernesto Londoño and Mitch Smith: “The political and legal chaos is likely to be resolved by the U.S. Supreme Court, which currently has a 6-to-3 conservative majority and has long been an arbiter on questions of the rights of L.G.B.T.Q. people. In the meantime, transgender minors across the country are left in limbo, unsure if they will be able to fill their next prescription for puberty blockers or hormone therapy.” SCOTUS WATCH — “Supreme Court Case Could Upend Rules for Mortgages, Credit Cards and More,” by WSJ’s Andrew Ackerman and Jess Bravin: “A lawsuit before the Supreme Court on Tuesday could threaten more than a decade’s worth of rules governing the mortgage industry, credit cards, student-loan companies and more. A group of payday lenders will argue before the court that some rules written by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau are invalid because the funding system Congress designed for the agency in 2010 was unconstitutional.”   A message from Meta:   BEYOND THE BELTWAY AFTERNOON READ — “How red-state politics are shaving years off American lives,” by WaPo’s Lauren Weber, Dan Diamond and Dan Keating: “Americans are more likely to die before age 65 than residents of similar nations, despite living in a country that spends substantially more per person on health care than its peers. Many of those early deaths can be traced to decisions made years ago by local and state lawmakers over whether to implement cigarette taxes, invest in public health or tighten seat-belt regulations, among other policies, an examination by The Washington Post found.” Read the mainbar: “An epidemic of chronic illness is killing us too soon,” by WaPo’s Joel Achenbach, Dan Keating, Laurie McGinley, Akilah Johnson and Jahi Chikwendiu DANCE OF THE SUPERPOWERS — “A Rural Michigan Town Is the Latest Battleground in the U.S.-China Fight,” by NYT’s Alan Rappeport: “Firestorms over Chinese investments, like a battery factory in Green Charter Township, are erupting as officials weigh the risks of taking money from an adversary.” Related read: “China Is Suffering a Brain Drain. 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DOWNLOAD FOR iOS – DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID.     PLAYBOOKERS MEDIA MOVES — Amy Fiscus is joining WaPo as deputy national editor. She previously was deputy editor of The Morning at the NYT. The announcement … Kyle Pope, who has been editor and publisher of the Columbia Journalism Review since 2016, is leaving to join Covering Climate Now, an organization that works with newsrooms and reporters to emphasize climate coverage. More from the AP TRANSITIONS — Payton Fuller is now press assistant for House GOP Conference Vice Chair Mike Johnson (R-La.). She previously was staff assistant for Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.). … Jon Wolfsthal is now director of global risk at the Federation of American Scientists. He previously was a senior adjunct fellow at the Center for a New American Security in the Transatlantic Security Program. WEEKEND WEDDINGS — Sam Finnerty, a partner and government contracts lawyer at PilieroMazza, and Jennie Wolfe, CEO of WellWolfe Coaching & Training, got married Saturday in Cape Charles, Va. They met in D.C. through mutual friends. Pic … Another pic — Kate Vibbert, senior political strategist at The New Media Firm, and Danny Shelton, who works at Aisle 518 and is a Mark Kelly alum, got married Saturday at Blue Hill Farm in Waterford, Va. Justin Jenkins, who introduced the couple at Ivy & Coney in 2017, officiated. Pic … SPOTTED: Rob Flaherty, Brenna Crombie, Josh Cook and Anna Tuman, Gladis Merino, Jeff Holmes, Toby and Laura Fallsgraff, Phil Kim, Atanu Chakravarty, Jonah Allon, Lily Ross, Sarah Flowers and Dylan Arant. Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com or text us at 202-556-3307. Playbook couldn’t happen without our editor Mike DeBonis, deputy editor Zack Stanton and producer Bethany Irvine. 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