Kevin McCarthy’s Speakership Fight Has ‘Absolutely Nothing To Do With Us,’ White House Says

The White House is keeping its distance from the unfolding drama in Congress over whether House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is able to keep his job.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Monday reiterated President Joe Biden’s comment from over the weekend that he doesn't have a vote on that matter, and said it’s a question for House Republicans to answer. She also declined to say whether Biden thinks Democrats should bail him out.

“That has absolutely nothing to do with us,” Jean-Pierre said. “That is something for House Republicans to figure out.”

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., on Monday teased his intention to seek McCarthy’s ouster after the passage of bipartisan legislation to fund the government without the spending cuts ultraconservatives wanted and with Biden’s support. 

Even so, Biden made his annoyance with McCarthy clear on Sunday while addressing the 11th hour legislation to avert a government shutdown. He decried the congressional “brinksmanship,” which the White House has repeatedly said shouldn’t have been necessary if Republicans stood by a budget agreement they passed in the spring.

“I hope this experience for the speaker has been one of a personal revelation,” Biden said Sunday.

Congress faces another potential showdown to keep the government open in November, when the current stopgap funding runs out. Biden said he expects McCarthy and Republicans to keep their word on government funding and providing additional aid to Ukraine, which was omitted from the stopgap legislation. 

McCarthy has since said he made no deal with Biden or Democrats to pass a separate Ukraine package.

Biden did not respond to questions from reporters about whether he and McCarthy struck a deal on Ukraine aid during a Cabinet meeting Monday.

Republicans should avoid another spending crisis by doing their “basic duty” to keep the government open, Jean-Pierre said on Monday.

“One of the things that speaker McCarthy learned is, you know, that you have to do your job, right, which is why I think … he moved forward,’ she said.

From the White House perspective, it’s unclear whether McCarthy keeping his job or getting taken down by his opposition is preferable. On one hand, his actions have raised trust issues for Democrats. On the other, they may question whether another Republican as House speaker would be any better.

“If you're looking at it short term, and you think that McCarthy can get you Ukraine aid, then maybe you keep him because … it doesn't get any better” with another Republican, said Rodell Mollineau, a Democratic strategist. “But you go into every single negotiation eyes wide open that if he says one thing, he might either get rolled by his caucus or might need to shift because if he does the thing he promises to do, he’s gonna lose his job.”