Spartz, a Republican representative, is against McCarthy’s plan to remove Democrats from committees.
“I will oppose Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s efforts to keep a handful of Democrats off key House committees,” said Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind.
“I will not support this charade again,” she said in a strongly worded statement, “as I spoke against it on the House floor two years ago.” “It’s time for Speaker McCarthy to stop worrying about keeping his job and start governing for a change.”
Spartz’s statement came in response to McCarthy’s removal of Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., from the Foreign Affairs Committee and Reps. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., from the Intelligence Committee.
As a permanent select committee, the Intelligence panel gives the speaker special authority, one of which is the unilateral power to keep members off the panel. But he will need the support of a majority of the House to block Omar from Foreign Affairs.
Since McCarthy has only a slim Republican majority, every vote is important. If proxy voting is no longer an option, then a handful of absences could sway outcomes in the House when the two parties disagree.
As McCarthy’s plans are widely seen as retaliation against Democrats for kicking Republican Reps. Paul Gosar of Arizona and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia off their committees in the last Congress over incendiary or violent rhetoric, and they are receiving much criticism.
“Spartz said in her statement that two wrongs don’t make a right,” ”
“Last Congress, Speaker Pelosi took unprecedented actions to remove Reps. Greene and Gosar from their committees without proper due process.” Speaker McCarthy is taking unprecedented actions this Congress to deny some committee assignments to the Minority without proper due process.
A spokesperson said that Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., would also vote against booting Democrats like Omar from committees, adding that Mace intends to be consistent after having voted against removing Greene from committees.
