(Bloomberg) -- House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's job was on a knife's edge Tuesday as some Democrats have demanded major concessions to help him stave off a Republican revolt, according to a member of House GOP leadership.
In exchange for helping McCarthy suppress the effort to remove him, Democrats have said in private talks that they would want more authority on the powerful Rules Committee or more Democratic seats on other committees, the source said.
But the member of Republican leadership said those demands — which would amount to a form of power-sharing with Democrats — won't fly with the Republican rank-and-file, putting McCarthy in an impossible position.
One member said Republicans are boxed in.
After stopping an effort by conservative Republicans to shut down the government over the weekend, McCarthy faces a motion to vacate, a rarely used procedural move that would force a vote on whether he can remain as speaker. Given the narrow Republican majority, a handful of defections from his own party would end his speakership.
McCarthy said on CNBC Tuesday morning that he had not spoken with Democrats about any concessions and would not make any to keep his job.
“You know what, they haven't asked for anything; I'm not going to provide anything,” he said.
In an interview on MSNBC, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said that Democrats would decide what to do as a group in a closed-door meeting ahead of the vote.
“This is a vote of conscience in many ways, and I am interested in hearing what every single member of the House Democratic family has to say on this issue, and then we'll come to a collective decision at the end,” he said.
Democratic and Republican lawmakers met in separate closed-door party conferences Tuesday morning.
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
©2023 Bloomberg L.P.
Essential Business Intelligence, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice, Daily Fuel, Gold and Silver Prices and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.