During a conference call on Sunday night, Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., outlined key concessions to which he would agree, including allowing as few as five House members to topple the speaker, CNN reported.
The key concession, known as a "motion to vacate" the speaker's chair, would allow as few as five House members to trigger a vote ousting the speaker at any given time. Last week, CNN reported that McCarthy was supportive of the idea.
But when asked about the suggestion by Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., to lower the number of House members required to trigger the vote to one, McCarthy objected.
"The motion to vacate isn't an end unto itself. It is an enforcement tool to keep any speaker compliant to their promises," Gaetz said before the conference call, according to The Wall Street Journal. "Kevin has no intention to keep the promises he's made."
News of McCarthy agreeing to the concessions comes as House Republicans plan to release their final rules package, formalizing the suggestions. But according to key sources, such concessions mean nothing until the package is passed. And the package will not pass until the House elects a speaker and swears in members.
Much uncertainty still looms over whether McCarthy will clinch the speakership. The requirements for the gavel are 218 votes. In the next Congress, there will be 222 Republicans. But five are hardliners against a McCarthy speakership. A speaker ballot has not gone to a second vote in 100 years.
"We've certainly had uncertainty," said Brendan Buck, a former aide to Republican speakers John Boehner and Paul Ryan. "We've never had a situation where the people trying to gum up the works seem to be able to show the math that they can do it."
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