Matt Gaetz and Lauren Boebert: McCarthy is threatening to 'send everyone home' after mutiny
Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and Lauren Boebert (R-CO) complained on Wednesday that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy threatened to send members of Congress home after the Freedom Caucus shut down floor debate.
Following tensions over a debt ceiling increase, 12 Republicans on Tuesday voted not to allow debate on gas stove regulations, effectively shutting down the House floor for legislation.
"We've told the Speaker that there will be no rule votes until the pistol-brace bill passes," Gaetz told Steve Bannon on Wednesday's War Room podcast. "However, we believe that our committees should continue their work."
But Gaetz said McCarthy had threatened to retaliate against far-right Republicans by postponing contempt proceedings for FBI Director Christopher Wray.
"And I have been told that leadership teams are meeting right now, and they're thinking about punishing House conservatives and just sending everybody home this week and canceling the committee work and the contempt work as a way to stick it to us for making demands that they keep their promises," the lawmaker explained.
Boebert also expressed outrage over the Speaker's threat.
"Now leadership is threatening to send everyone home because we are holding the floor and cancel all of those committees that are having hearings and doing actual work," she said. "That means that they are going to cancel this markup to hold Christopher Wray in contempt."
"The imperial speakership is over, as it was greatly stated yesterday," Boebert added. "And we have some demands."