Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) has stated that she favors a motion to vacate, which would result in Kevin McCarthy being removed from his post as Speaker of the House. She also left the possibility of dialogue open if McCarthy approached Democrats for aid.
Ocasio-Cortez has declared that she does not intend to vote for a Republican Speaker of the House candidate. However, she believes that it is the responsibility of the Republican conference to decide their leadership and solve their concerns.
She stated that Democrats might talk with McCarthy if he was in danger of losing his place as Speaker, but she does not believe that Democrats give up votes for free under any circumstances. A typical scenario in which the minority party in the House would support a motion to resign the speakership is one in which the minority party desires to have one of its members serve in that role.
If Democrats support a motion to vacate, McCarthy can only afford a few “no” votes from fellow Republicans. McCarthy’s proposal, debated and voted on in the House of Representatives, received negative support from 90 members of the Republican conference, while only one Democrat opposed it. This has provided a window of opportunity for opponents, such as Representative Matt Gaetz (R-Florida), who contend that McCarthy should not bring legislation to the floor and pass it with the votes of Democrats.
Ocasio-Cortez believes that serving the people of the United States and preserving an effective and unified government should be the highest priority. She also noted that she does not believe Democrats give things away for free and that this is true regardless of whether or not McCarthy asks for a vote again.
Regarding a prospective power-sharing agreement between parties in exchange for the Democrats’ support to save McCarthy’s Speakership, she stated that it comes with a price, as voting for a Republican Speaker is not what the party was elected to do. She referred to a potential agreement between parties to save McCarthy’s Speakership.
