'Fireworks': Matt Gaetz and Kevin McCarthy Get into Tense Argument in Closed-Door Meeting

Tensions reportedly ran high during a closed-door meeting of House Republicans on Thursday, September 28, highlighting deep divisions within the party as they struggle to avoid a government shutdown.

The conflict peaked when Republican Florida Representative Matt Gaetz confronted Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy about alleged payments to conservative influencers to post negative content about him on social media, RadarOnline.com has learned.

According to CNN, McCarthy denied these allegations, dismissing Gaetz and stating that he would not waste his time or money on him.

This exchange reflects the long-standing tension between the congressman and the speaker, with Gaetz threatening to force a vote to remove McCarthy as pressure mounts during the shutdown spending debate.

Following the confrontation, members in the room expressed their dissatisfaction with Gaetz. One member called him a "scumbag," while another told him to "F--- off."

This incident comes after McCarthy's outside counsel sent a cease and desist letter to the person soliciting influencers to attack Gaetz, claiming to act on the speaker's behalf.

With only three days remaining before government funding expires, House Republicans remain divided, complicating efforts to find a solution and prevent a shutdown.

While the Senate has proposed a bipartisan plan to avert a shutdown, House Republicans have rejected it, leaving the two chambers at an impasse. McCarthy plans to have the chamber vote on a GOP stopgap bill, but it is unclear if he has enough support to pass it.

The House Republicans are scheduled to hold late-night votes on Thursday on a series of spending bills, but they may not have enough support within their own party.

This could lead to a chaotic scene on the House floor and demonstrate the necessity of a short-term funding extension. Some hardline conservatives have expressed their opposition to a stopgap bill, complicating the situation further.

Despite the lack of support for the short-term spending bill, McCarthy intends to proceed with the vote, emphasizing that this has been the plan all along.

This decision carries a risk of an embarrassing defeat and could portray the house speaker as unable to pass a bill out of his chamber before the Saturday midnight deadline.

One of the four spending bills set to be voted on may be withdrawn due to significant opposition. This bill focuses on the Department of Agriculture and other priorities but faces challenges related to abortion access and spending cuts.

The Senate is working on advancing a bipartisan stopgap bill that would fund the government until November 17 and provide aid to Ukraine and disaster relief. However, McCarthy has dismissed this proposal.

The Senate’s bill may not pass until Monday if GOP Senator Rand Paul slows down the process over his demand that the legislation exclude $6.2 billion in aid to Ukraine.

Negotiations are underway to reach a deal that would enable the Senate to expedite the vote.

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