Rep. August Pfluger Criticizes Ouster of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Rep. August Pfluger expressed discontent after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was voted out by a close 216-210 margin Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 3, 2023. Pfluger highlighted that all but eight members of the Republican caucus supported McCarthy. With Democrats sensing an opportunity, they sided with the dissenting Republicans, leading to McCarthy's removal.

The narrow Republican majority meant that the motion to vacate, initiated by Rep. Matt Gaetz, carried significant weight. Currently, the House consists of 221 Republicans and 212 Democrats. Gaetz and his allies used the period allocated to elect McCarthy as Speaker in January of this year to demand the speaker's position be vacated. With the majority not in favor of retaining McCarthy, he was dethroned on Tuesday.

Soon after this event, the New York Times revealed that Gaetz has been under a renewed ethics investigation by the House, after the Department of Justice opted not to proceed with serious charges against him. The publication stated that Gaetz's animosity towards McCarthy stemmed from McCarthy's supposed support of the inquiry. Gaetz faces multiple allegations, including sexual misconduct, illicit drug use, misuse of campaign funds, and other infractions as detailed by the NY Times.

Pfluger, however, shifted focus during a telephone town hall, underscoring McCarthy's contributions to House District 11, which stretches from Killeen through San Angelo to Midland and Odessa. He lauded McCarthy’s endeavors to enforce border security measures and promote deregulation in the oil and gas sectors.

The crux of the recent dispute arose from differing views on how to address a potential government shutdown. McCarthy's agreement with Democrats postponed funding for the Ukrainian conflict but maintained elevated spending levels for 45 days. This decision differed from what Gaetz and his supporters advocated. Gaetz accused McCarthy of compromising with Democrats to stave off a shutdown linked to budgetary concerns.

Pfluger responded to the upheaval by tweeting, “The motion to vacate distracts from the crucial tasks we were elected to address.”