GOP Rep. Biggs predicts McCarthy will remain speaker, but is 'profoundly unhappy' with him

Arizona Republican Rep. Andy Biggs on Monday opined that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy would likely survive an upcoming effort to remove him from leadership of the lower chamber, but suggested that his decisions while in the post had vindicated conservative fears he would not live up to expectations.

Gaetz has said that he plans to file a motion to vacate the chair and remove McCarthy this week, though he has since announced a delay on the motion to permit the speaker to explain a "secret side deal" he allegedly made with Democrats related to Ukraine funding.

"Members of the Republican Party might vote differently on a motion to vacate if they heard what the Speaker had to share with us about his secret side deal with Joe Biden on Ukraine. I'll be listening. Stay tuned," Gaetz said Monday.

Biggs, for his part, has backed the effort to remove McCarthy, though he remains doubtful of its prospects for success.

"I believe that when you're going to try to land to big fish, you should get this hook really set deep and make sure it's set. I'm not sure that it is set," he said on the "Just the News, No Noise" television show. "I am deeply and profoundly unhappy with our leadership that we've seen from Speaker McCarthy."

"I think Matt Gaetz has come on multiple shows over the weekend and said he's doing it this week. I don't know if that means tonight. I don't know if it means later in the week. I just don't know," he went on. "I do think that Speaker McCarthy probably survives this. I personally will be voting to vacate."

The Arizona lawmaker then cited his frustrations with McCarthy's handling of budget negotiations, including the seemingly haphazard timetable for resolving budget disputes.

"We were supposed to get this done by June 15. We were promised we'd get it done. And we didn't get it done. And even the one bill we got done in July, they didn't ever transmit to the Senate," he lamented. "I'll just say this: About a year ago, when we were talking about these types of things, in December, in January, I predicted that this would happen."

"I said that his history, Mr. Speaker's history was that he would make deals with the Democrats," Biggs continued. "He made a deal with the Democrats, every Democrat voted for that CR that he put up last weekend. And that's because the Republicans who want to reduce spending, we're left with no place else to go."

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.