Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) has revealed that House Democrats are warming up to the idea of Circumventing House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) in their bid to continue the reckless spending under former House leadership and increase the national debt.
Swalwell made the revelation while speaking to MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace about the GOP’s fight to reduce the national debt and curb government spendings, like the unchecked aid to Ukraine and the recently passed $1.7 trillion omnibus bill.
“If you had a child and you gave them a credit card, and they kept hitting the limit—you wouldn't just keep increasing it. You'd first see what are you spending your money on? How can we cut items out?" – @SpeakerMcCarthy on the federal debt limit and cutting spending pic.twitter.com/tmhiFdJadF
— House Republicans (@HouseGOP) January 19, 2023
While the House Republicans are willing to take the necessary steps to take charge of the nation’s debt, Swalwell and his Democratic colleague want more spending and unchecked aid to Ukraine. Swalwell told Wallace that House Democrats will get their wish through a “Speaker discharge” if McCarthy does not bow to their wish.
“I think you’re going to see speaker discharge,” Swalwell said. “The country is going to learn that word because a discharge petition, the worst named political term you could think of, means that if you get a majority of the Congress to come forward to support legislation, you can go around the speaker, I think we’ll have to go around the speaker to do all of that.”
It’s unclear how Swalwell and his colleagues plan to achieve their goal, as they would need a House majority to support their discharge petition against McCarthy. A discharge petition allows a House majority to force a vote on bills that the speaker or relevant committee has refused to bring to the House floor.
Given the GOP’s House majority, House Democrats would need at least five of their Republican counterparts to side with them if they are to force a speaker discharge.
Swalwell’s claim comes after McCarthy vowed to kick the California congressman and Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) out of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI).
McCarthy sighted Swalwell’s ties to a suspected Chinese spy who had helped Swalwell fundraise for his 2014 reelection.
If you got the briefing I got from the FBI, you wouldn't have Eric Swalwell on 𝘢𝘯𝘺 committee. pic.twitter.com/2H19pezF9M
— Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) January 17, 2023
McCarthy said, “If you got the briefing I got from the FBI, you wouldn’t have Swalwell on any committee,”
