On Friday, House Republicans rejected a stopgap government funding bill that would have prevented a government shutdown that is set to begin on Saturday.

According to POLITICO, 

the stopgap measure was rejected 198 to 232. In addition to every Democrat voting against the bill, 21 Republicans joined them to sink the legislation in the House. The failure is yet another blow to Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) who could be booted from the job if he is unable to avoid the shutdown.As previously reported by the DC Enquirer, the effort to unseat McCarthy from one of the most powerful posts in Washington, D.C. has been led by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) who has said that he would call for a motion to vacate the speaker if McCarthy passed a spending bill alongside Democrats.

“Today [Speaker McCarthy] improved compliance with the January Agreement by holding a term limits vote, which sadly failed,” Gaetz wrote on X/Twitter alongside a picture of a McCarthy report card. “There remain significant areas for needed improvement.”

Gaetz is reportedly considering, alongside a number of other conservative members, calling for a motion to vacate as soon as Sunday and ultimately push out the California Republican by next week.

The Republicans who are currently being considered to replace McCarthy if he loses his seat include Chairman of the Republican Study Committee Rep. Kevin Hern (R-OK), House Budget Chairman Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-TX), and House Financial Services Chairman Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC).

“It’ll be a unity speaker, and whoever it is will cut a deal to get Dems and then change House rules to preclude motion to vacate,” one member of the Republican caucus told Axios. “But he [McCarthy] may keep dancing his way through the fire.”

McCarthy’s ouster from the speakership became increasingly likely after 27 members of the Republican caucus signed a letter demanding that McCarthy release a plan to address the spending fight.

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