On Tuesday, Kevin McCarthy was removed as Speaker of the House of Representatives, marking the first such situation in the legislative history of the United States. Matt Gaetz successfully introduced an impeachment motion that all Democrats and eight Republicans supported, thus leaving the gavel vacant. Ted Cruz analyzed the situation from the Senate and asked the Lower House for calm.
The Texas senator addressed the issue in the latest edition of his podcast, “Verdict,” on which he first lamented the situation, stating that he felt “sad” and “disappointed.” “We are fighting each other and not against the bad guys who are destroying this country,” he added.
Cruz did not want to give any indications about who could be McCarthy’s successor, although Jim Jordan and Steve Scalise have already announced their candidacies. However, he did mention what main qualities this person should have. “I have no idea who the next president will be. I hope it is a strong, conservative leader. He entrusted the members of the House with the task,” he added.
Don't miss my deep dive into the chaos in the House of Representatives. I do a careful analysis of what happened, what's coming next, and what this means for the country.
All this and more on #Verdict.https://t.co/Naxxl5EDRg pic.twitter.com/Hd3BR2y1ZI
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) October 5, 2023
That said, Cruz explained some of the differences in the dynamics of the Upper House and the Lower House. To start, he recalled an old House Republican joke: “The Democrats are our opponents, but the Senate is our enemy.”
“The Chamber is more chaotic, less united. There are 435 people. I think they must be insulting each other all the time in the hallways. There are only 100 of us in the Senate, and while we may be fighting today, I probably need your vote tomorrow. There is no such hostility,” the senator continued.
As for what congressmen should aim to accomplish looking toward 2024, he mentioned an even more ferocious cut in public spending and the impeachment of Alejandro Mayorkas, something that the senator has been asking for since 2021. This last issue began to show signs of advancing in June of this year at the initiative of the House Homeland Security Committee.
According to Mark Green (R-TN), Chairman of the Committee, the official’s policies “have resulted in a humanitarian crisis that this country has never seen.”
“Today’s hearing will begin the process of investigating all the details—the cause and effect of Alejandro Mayorkas’ dereliction of duty. I hope the American people will listen carefully. I hope the press will report honestly. I hope that the president of the United States, the commander in chief in charge of the safety and security of this country, will listen. It is not possible that he knows about all of Mayorkas’s failures and has not already fired him,” he added in a statement.
Initially scheduled to last between 11 and 12 weeks, the process will thoroughly review Mayorkas’ performance as Secretary of Homeland Security.
