Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz has announced his intention to file a motion this week to remove House Speaker Kevin McCarthy from his position. Gaetz made the statement during an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union.” He argued that new leadership is needed that can be trusted. Gaetz also confirmed his plans to file a motion to vacate the speakership while appearing on ABC News’ “This Week.” Both the Senate and House recently passed a short-term bill to fund the government until November 17.

In response to Gaetz’s announcement, McCarthy dismissed it as nothing new and claimed that Gaetz has been trying to remove him from office since he began his tenure. He expressed confidence that he has sufficient support to survive the motion. Gaetz was characterized by McCarthy as being more interested in media attention than in actually accomplishing anything. McCarthy also stated that he is ready to move on and start governing.

The short-term funding bill authorized additional disaster relief funds and gave Congress more time to negotiate a long-term funding agreement. However, it did not include aid to Ukraine. McCarthy removed this provision from the bill, arguing that it should be dealt with separately at a later date. Gaetz criticized McCarthy for making a secret deal with Democrats to pass the funding bill without Ukraine funding.

It remains unclear whether Gaetz has enough support to remove McCarthy from office. Under House rules, any Republican lawmaker can call for a motion to vacate the speaker’s chair, but at least five Republicans would need to vote in favor of it, along with all Democrats, for it to pass. Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick expressed doubt that enough lawmakers would support the motion, as McCarthy had demonstrated a willingness to pass a bipartisan bill to keep the government open.

Gaetz’s plans to oust McCarthy were criticized by Republican Congressman Larry Bucshon, who called Gaetz a “charlatan” and accused him of reaching out to Democrats for votes. McCarthy had previously dropped Republican demands for spending cuts and immigration policy provisions in order to pass a clean stopgap bill to fund the government. This decision came after a group of conservative rebels, led by Gaetz, blocked a previous funding bill. McCarthy argued that he had no choice but to abandon the demands after the rebels’ vote left them without a plan to avoid a government shutdown.

Gaetz has threatened to remove McCarthy if he works with Democrats to pass a continuing resolution without Ukraine funding. President Joe Biden declined to comment on whether Democrats should support McCarthy’s speakership, but expressed confidence that enough Republicans would support the motion to vacate. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez stated that she would vote for the motion, but clarified that she would not support a Republican as the next speaker.