Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) vowed to fight for more cameras in Congress to give citizens more insight into “what the elected representatives that people [elected] are doing.”
Referencing the fiery confrontation between him and Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL) late last week, Gaetz argued that it was healthy for the republic to witness such flare-ups and downplayed animosity between the pair. He later introduced an amendment to tweak House rules to allow C-SPAN cameras in the chamber.
WATCH: GAETZ FORGIVES ROGERS AFTER HEATED EXCHANGE DURING SPEAKER CHAOS
“I think what was really different about this is we had cameras actually filming the members of Congress on the floor. That doesn’t usually happen in here. The American people got to see some of the chats and some of the disagreements, and I think that’s actually a good thing for the republic,” Gaetz told NewsNation Tuesday.
Last Friday, during the 14th vote over the speakership, Rogers confronted Gaetz after a speakership ballot round left soon-to-be House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) one vote shy of clinching the gavel. Gaetz voted “present,” but he could have broken the stalemate if he had voted in favor. Rogers was then shown on camera being physically restrained by Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC).
WATCH: @RepMattGaetz weighed in on the confrontation between him and Rep. Mike Rogers on the House floor and what it means for the GOP. (via @NewsNation)
“I’m going to be working with my colleagues in Congress to allow MORE cameras on the House Floor.”
— Joel Valdez (@realJoelValdez) January 10, 2023
Gaetz subsequently forgave Rogers, who is set to stay on the powerful House Steering Committee after considering stepping down.
“Chairman Rogers was a little frustrated with the position I’d taken. But keep in mind this is a man that I’ve worked with very closely for six years on national defense issues. And so because we have such a close working relationship, it’s OK that you get animated or frustrated and then move past it,” the Republican from Florida said.
C-SPAN, which filmed the explosive encounter, was permitted to have cameras in the chambers due to the lack of rules legislation, which had been stymied by the standstill over electing the next speaker. The broadcast company had filmed a number of interactions between members on the House floor that normally go unseen by the public, including an exchange between Gaetz and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).
After the set of rules cleared the House Monday, C-SPAN noted that cameras would no longer be permitted inside the chamber. Some observers had lamented the move, arguing that there would be less transparency in Congress.
NOTE: C-SPAN cameras are no longer in the House chamber. We have resumed using the feed from House/government-operated cameras.
— CSPAN (@cspan) January 9, 2023
“I’m going to be working with some of my colleagues in the Congress to allow more cameras on the floor to be able to see what the elected representatives that people are doing. And that means you’ll see some moments of high tension,” Gaetz said.
The amendment he unveiled to the House rules package Tuesday would allow C-SPAN cameras in the lower chamber “to record proceedings and for other purposes.” House Democrats are also planning to introduce similar legislation to permit cameras in the chamber.
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McCarthy ultimately won the speakership on the 15th round after additional Republican holdouts opted to vote present. Gaetz had been a vocal critic against him throughout the process, but the representative voted “present” on the final ballot so that McCarthy could ascend to the post.
“At the end of the day, we did come together to elect a speaker. We did come together to pass transformational rules changes [in] the House of Representatives that will outlive me and outlive Kevin McCarthy. And I think that’s the kind of reform to a broken Washington that our constituents demand [of] Congress,” Gaetz said.
