Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Friday said his successor’s struggles and the withering House Republican majority began when he was axed last year.
Republicans started their majority in the House with a small majority in 2023, but even that’s been sanded down to two votes as lawmakers, including Mr. McCarthy, have escaped while blaming Congress’ dysfunction.
The departure of Rep. Mike Gallagher, Wisconsin Republican, will drop the majority to just one vote and make passing legislation especially tough for House Speaker Mike Johnson, Louisiana Republican.
Mr. McCarthy told Fox News’ Jesse Watters that the House GOP started losing its edge when Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz and seven other Republicans voted to vacate him from the chair.
“What’s happening in Congress today goes back to when those eight Republicans led by Gaetz partnered with every single Democrat to decide who could be speaker,” Mr. McCarthy said. “That’s when Republicans lost the majority.”
Mr. Johnson now faces the same threat from Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene, Georgia Republican, who on Friday filed a motion to vacate the chair after the speaker narrowly passed the $1.2 trillion spending package.
Since Mr. McCarthy’s ouster, legislative business in the House struggled to move along under Mr. Johnson, largely because of conservatives blocking bills they see as outrageously woke and wasteful.
The former speaker contended that House Republicans haven’t used their majority strength to stop the flood of illegal immigration.
“They lost their leverage to secure the border,” Mr. McCarthy said. “They lost their leverage when … those eight gave the majority to the Democrats.”