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Two federal lawmakers representing Greater Williamsport expressed reasons why they recently voted to retain House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who was ousted from that role in a vote by Congress.
U.S. Reps. Glenn "GT" Thompson, R-Howard, and Dan Meuser, R-Dallas, each replied in written statements and on televised interviews about why they voted how they did on the motion to vacate.
McCarthy lost the speakership after enough Democrats and eight Republicans led by U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida made the historic vote.
Gaetz filed a motion to vacate under a change to House rules. After criticizing McCarthy for helping to pass a bill to avert a government shutdown, Gaetz, and seven other Republicans voted in favor of McCarthy's removal.
"Eight members of the Republican party sided with Democrats to remove Kevin McCarthy from the Office of the Speaker," Thompson said.
"This was nothing but a distraction from a handful of shameless self-promoters," Thompson said.
He continued, "Their form of demagoguery doesn't work without a foil. Now, they'll have no one to blame but themselves. Americans deserve better."
In televised interviews before the vote, Meuser accused Gaetz and other Republicans in favor of McCarthy's removal of playing destructive politics. Meuser said he considered it a missed opportunity to do "historic things" if they were to not be totally political.
He named such items as securing the border and comprehensive illegal immigration reform.
"We've got Gaetz and a couple of sycophants that are destructive critics that have done nothing since they've been here," Meuser said.
A process of electing the next House speaker has begun as several Congressmen have expressed interest.
As of this week, two longtime party stalwarts and hard-liners, Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana and House Judiciary Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, have emerged as contenders to replace former House Speaker McCarthy, but along with them is a third -- Rep. Kevin Hern, R-Oklahoma, according to the Associated Press.