With the clock ticking for House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to secure the necessary votes to become speaker, the leader of the conservative House Freedom Caucus says he “rejected” the opportunity.
On Tuesday morning, Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), the chair of the Freedom Caucus, released a statement blasting the California Republican.
“We’ve worked in good faith for months to change the status quo. At nearly every turn, we’ve been sidelined or resisted by McCarthy, and any perceived progress has often been vague or contained loopholes that further amplified concerns as to the sincerity of the promises being made,” Perry said.
He accused McCarthy of “repeatedly” failing to “demonstrate any desire to meaningfully change the status quo in Washington” after more than a decade in Republican leadership.
“Despite our deep reservations we have continued to work in earnest to find a path forward with McCarthy, knowing that this crucial moment would come,” he continued.
Check out the statement below:
Freedom Caucus Chair Scott Perry out with a scathing statement ahead of the speaker election.
— Andrew Solender (@AndrewSolender) January 3, 2023
> “Kevin McCarthy had an opportunity to be Speaker of the House. He rejected it.” pic.twitter.com/FwCOo4TYGF
Perry accused McCarthy of “dragging his feet for months” and presenting a “vague ultimatum lacking in specifics and substance.”
He also claimed conservative lawmakers “approached McCarthy with an offer to get him to 218,” however, “He declined.”
The Pennsylvania congressman said McCarthy refused to promise to hold votes on a series of bills addressing issues such as the southern border and term limits for lawmakers.
Perry also said members asked the Republican leader to “cease his efforts to defeat competitive conservative candidates in open Republican primaries. He denied it.”
Finally, Perry wrote, “Kevin McCarthy had an opportunity to be Speaker of the House. He rejected it.”
His statement comes just hours before the House is scheduled to hold a vote to choose the next speaker.
While McCarthy is expressing optimism he will secure the necessary 218 votes to become speaker, it is not clear he has secured the support of enough lawmakers.
As of Tuesday morning, there were five so-called “Never Kevin” Republicans who have publicly stated they oppose his bid for speaker — he can only afford four defections if the full House votes. And Politico reports one McCarthy ally believes there could be as many as a dozen House Republicans opposed to him.
The outlet notes McCarthy plans to “continue voting — over and over again — in a bid to wear down his detractors until he gets the gavel.”
Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-Pa.), the incoming chief deputy whip, told Politico, “If they think this is going to be a game of chicken, to see who’s going to blink first, they’re going to be sadly surprised.”
“We’ll be here until the Fourth of July voting for McCarthy,” he added.
If McCarthy does not win the required votes on the first ballot, it would be the first time in 100 years that multiple votes were needed to choose the speaker.