Matt Gaetz Issues Warning About Mike Johnson’s Future

Florida Representative Matt Gaetz has warned that House Speaker Mike Johnson may face a “similar fate” to his predecessor Kevin McCarthy if he fails to pass a single-subject spending bill in sufficient time.

Gaetz, who spearheaded the historic removal of McCarthy as House Speaker after the California Republican worked with Democrats to pass a spending bill to avoid a government shutdown in September, was asked by CNN on Monday whether Johnson would also face a motion to vacate if a similar deal is reached.

Johnson faces his first major test as House Speaker as he tries to push through his stopgap funding bill to stop a looming government shutdown as the current continuing resolution (CR) expires on Friday, November 17. However, a number of House Republicans, including Gaetz, have already said they would support a “laddered” proposal put forward by Johnson which would extend the government funding until the new year, with some funding running out in January and the rest expiring in early February.

Johnson may also need the help of the Democrats in order for his bill to clear the House. The White House has already described the Louisiana Republican’s CR plan—which does not include military funding for Ukraine or Israel and proposes cutting the IRS spending by billions of dollars—as “extreme,” with other Democrats saying they will not support it.

Speaking to CNN, Gaetz said that the main difference between what Johnson is currently going through and the deal that ultimately ended in McCarthy being ousted as House Speaker is the length of time the individuals have had to pass a single-subject spending bill.

“Mike Johnson and Kevin McCarthy both promised us a path to single-subject spending bills. In seven months of Kevin McCarthy being Speaker, he only delivered one of them,” Gaetz said. “If Mike Johnson is only able to deliver one of them over seven months, then he would likely face a motion to vacate.”

When asked by CNN’s Abby Phillip if he is holding Johnson to a “different standard” to McCarthy, Gaetz replied: “No, I’m not.

“Again, if we are seven months into the Mike Johnson speakership and we’ve only moved a single-subject spending bill, then Mike Johnson would likely face a similar fate,” Gaetz said. “But in Mike Johnson’s first week as speaker, he was moving bill after bill, so he has shown a commitment and a sincerity in this process that was totally absent under Kevin McCarthy.

“The distinction is easily explainable when you look at the amount of time each has had. Mike Johnson deserves the opportunity to have some runway to execute his vision. Now, I’m not going to join in any vision that’s a continuing resolution at current policies and current spending levels, but I don’t think it warrants an ouster unless that is a theory of governance that predominates over months.”

Johnson’s office has been contacted for comment via email.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Gaetz said that he would not be supporting Johnson’s proposed CR as it “does not address our spending challenges.”

“That said—I have confidence in Speaker Johnson. There’s a fundamental difference here between Speaker Johnson and McCarthy,” Gaetz wrote. “McCarthy had SEVEN MONTHS to pass single-subject spending bills. Johnson has only had a few weeks. Let’s see what he does with more time under his belt.”

Johnson has described his CR proposal with two separate deadlines for the government funding to run out as being a “necessary bill” to place House Republicans in the “best position to fight for conservative victories.”