周二晚上，当众议员马特·盖兹(Matt Gaetz)指责众议院共和党领袖霸占议长办公室时，一个规模虽小但有影响力的共和党强硬派团体和众议员凯文·麦卡锡之间的战斗升温。
麦卡锡在周一之前把他的东西搬进了这个地方他多次未能获得足够的选票敲议长的小木槌。
“允许一个在连续三次议长选举中排名第二的人担任众议院议长，这在法律、众议院规则或先例中有什么依据?”盖兹在给国会大厦建筑师的信中写道。
盖兹写道，“经过三次未决投票，没有成员可以声称这个办公室。”
"他要在那里住多久才会被认为是擅自占地者?"盖兹写道。
1.3.23给AOC的信经过ABC新闻政治在Scribd上
盖兹在周二两次站出来提供一个麦卡锡的替代品认为还有其他人有更好的愿景来成功领导这次会议。
其他共和党人似乎同意他的观点，在第三轮投票中，反对麦卡锡竞选议长的议员人数增加到了20名。
麦卡锡得到了大多数党团成员的支持，他反驳说，那些反对他的人是为了他们自己的利益，而不是为了党的利益。
麦卡锡周二表示:“我将永远把美国人民放在第一位，而不是少数几个想为自己谋利的人。”“所以，我们可能会有一场战斗，但这场战斗是为了裁谈会和这个国家，这对我来说没什么。”
这戏剧使议院处于不稳定状态因为在选出议长之前，议员们不能处理任何公务。
谁在领导起义?
主要领导反对麦卡锡的运动的是众议院自由核心小组的成员，这是一个强硬的保守派团体，包括盖兹、科罗拉多州众议员劳伦·博贝特和宾夕法尼亚州众议员斯科特·佩里。
这三人周二出现在记者面前，表达他们对麦卡锡的不满，此前这位加州众议员试图在与共和党同事的最后一次闭门会议中争取支持。
佩里说:“就连想当议长的人也认为华盛顿已经崩溃了。”。“有趣的是，在他担任领导的14年里，他几乎没有做出任何改变。”
周二在第三轮投票中投票反对麦卡锡的20名共和党人是众议员Boebert、Gaetz、Perry、亚利桑那州的Andy Biggs、北卡罗来纳州的Dan Bishop、俄克拉荷马州的Josh Brecheen、德克萨斯州的Michael Cloud、佐治亚州的Andrew Clyde、亚利桑那州的Eli Crane、弗吉尼亚州的Bob Good、亚利桑那州的Paul Gosar、马里兰州的Andy Harris、伊利诺伊州的Mary Miller、南卡罗来纳州的Ralph Norman、田纳西州的Andrew Ogles、佛罗里达州的Anna Paulina Luna、蒙大拿州的Matt Rosendale、德克萨斯州的Chip Roy、德克萨斯州的Keith Self和佛罗里达州的Byron Donalds。
唐纳兹在两次投票支持麦卡锡后叛逃，他说“现实是众议员凯文·麦卡锡没有投票权。”
反对麦卡锡的20名共和党议员中，有19人否认参选，根据五点三十八分。他们中只有一个人完全接受2020年选举的结果:德克萨斯州的罗伊。
安说，20名共和党反对者平均来说比上届国会的大多数人更保守，更反体制分析从五点三十八分。
他们的要求是什么?
麦卡锡同意了众议院自由核心小组成员的一些要求，包括他们要求制定一项规则，允许随时就罢免议长进行投票。但麦卡锡提议将门槛设定在五名议员，以强制进行这样的投票，即众所周知的撤离动议，而不是像一些人希望的那样只有一名议员。
但他拒绝在涉及税收和移民的其他问题上让步。
佩里说，反对麦卡锡的共和党人正在寻求对他们希望进行表决的几项政策的“坚定承诺”:平衡预算，通过公平税法，通过德克萨斯州共和党人提出的旨在打击非法移民的提案，以及对国会议员实行任期限制。
麦卡锡反驳说，他的对手想要具体的委员会任务，而他不愿意给他们。
但对麦卡锡的一些批评更多地集中在他的领导风格和记录上。
“也许众议院议长一职的合适人选不是那么想要的人，”盖兹周二在众议院提名俄亥俄州众议员吉姆·乔丹为议长时说。“也许众议院议长这个职位的合适人选，并不是那些为了得到这个职位而出卖自己股份十多年的人。”
What to know about the defectors against Kevin McCarthy
The battle between a small but influential group of Republican hardliners and Rep. Kevin McCarthy heated up Tuesday night when Rep. Matt Gaetz accused the House GOP leader of squatting in the speaker's office.
McCarthy had his belongings moved into the space on Monday, before he failed multiple times to get enough votes to clinch the speaker's gavel.
"What is the basis in law, House rule, or precedent to allow someone who has placed second in three successive speaker elections to occupy the Speaker of the House Office?" Gaetz wrote in a letter to the Architect of the Capitol.
Gaetz wrote to that "after three undeciding votes, no member can lay claim to this office."
“How long will he remain there before he is considered a squatter?” Gaetz wrote.
1.3.23 Letter to the AOC by ABC News Politics on Scribd
Gaetz stood up twice on Tuesday to offer an alternative to McCarthy, arguing there are others with a better vision to successfully lead the conference.
Other Republicans appeared to agree with him, with the opposition to McCarthy's bid for speaker growing to 20 lawmakers total by the third round of voting.
McCarthy, who has the support of the majority of the caucus, has countered that those opposing him are doing so for their own self-interest rather than the good of the party.
"I will always fight to put the American people first, not a few individuals that want something for themselves," McCarthy said on Tuesday. "So, we may have a battle on the floor but the battle is for the conference and the country, and that's fine with me."
The drama has left the chamber in limbo as lawmakers are unable to conduct any official business until a speaker is chosen.
Who is leading the revolt?
Primarily leading the campaign against McCarthy are members of the House Freedom Caucus, a group of hard-line conservatives that includes Gaetz, Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado and Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania.
That trio appeared before reporters on Tuesday to air their grievances with McCarthy after the California congressman tried to shore up support in a last-ditch, closed-door meeting with his Republican colleagues.
"Even the guy that wants to be speaker agrees that Washington is broken," Perry said. "Interestingly enough, over the 14 years that he's been in leadership, he's done almost virtually nothing to change it."
The 20 Republicans who voted against McCarthy in the third round of voting Tuesday were Reps. Boebert, Gaetz, Perry, Andy Biggs of Arizona, Dan Bishop of North Carolina, Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma, Michael Cloud of Texas, Andrew Clyde of Georgia, Eli Crane of Arizona, Bob Good of Virginia, Paul Gosar of Arizona, Andy Harris of Maryland, Mary Miller of Illinois, Ralph Norman of South Carolina, Andrew Ogles of Tennessee, Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, Matt Rosendale of Montana, Chip Roy of Texas, Keith Self of Texas and Byron Donalds of Florida.
Donalds, who defected after voting for McCarthy twice, said "the reality is Rep. Kevin McCarthy doesn't have the vote."
Of the 20 Republican lawmakers who opposed McCarthy, 19 of them are election deniers, according to FiveThirtyEight. Only one of them has fully accepted the results of the 2020 election: Roy of Texas.
The 20 Republican dissenters are on average more conservative and more anti-establishment than most of the previous Congress, according to an analysis from FiveThirtyEight.
What are they demanding?
McCarthy agreed to some of the demands from members of the House Freedom Caucus, including their request for a rule to allow a vote on ousting the speaker at any time. But McCarthy proposed to set the threshold at five lawmakers to force such a vote, known as a motion to vacate, not just at one as some had wanted.
But he's refused to give in to other demands on matters involving taxes and immigration.
Perry said that the group of Republicans opposed to McCarthy are seeking "firm commitments" on several policies they want to be brought up for a vote: a balanced budget, passage of the Fair Tax Act, passage of a proposal crafted by Texas Republicans that aims to crack down on illegal immigration and the imposition of term limits for members of Congress.
McCarthy countered that his opponents want specific committee assignments that he's unwilling to give to them.
But some criticism of McCarthy has centered more on his leadership style and record.
"Maybe the right person for the job of speaker of the House isn't someone who wants it so bad," Gaetz said on the House floor Tuesday as he nominated Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio for speaker. "Maybe the right person for the job of speaker of the House isn't someone who has sold shares of themselves for more than a decade to get it."
