The US media has reported that a small group of fellow Republicans, along with Democrats, removed Kevin McCarthy, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, from his position in a 216-210 vote.
This marked the first time in the House’s 234-year history that they passed a resolution “to vacate the office of the speaker,” setting the stage for an unprecedented leadership contest a year before the presidential election.
Representative Matt Gaetz criticized Kevin McCarthy after his removal, calling him “a creature of the swamp” and accusing him of gaining power through special interest money and favor exchanges. Gaetz also expressed the need for a better speaker.
Representative Patrick McHenry, a close ally of McCarthy, was named acting Speaker from a list that McCarthy provided and shared with the House clerk.
The Republicans who voted to oust McCarthy included Andy Biggs, Ken Buck, Tim Burchett, Eli Crane, Matt Gaetz, Bob Good, Nancy Mace, and Matt Rosendale. Members from both parties anticipate that the Speaker pro tempore will oversee a new Speaker election.
McCarthy’s handling of fiscal issues was a point of contention among his fellow Republicans. He avoided a government shutdown by introducing a “clean” stopgap funding bill with the help of Democrats, as some party members, including those who voted to remove him, had blocked his attempts to pass a GOP funding plan.
The move to remove McCarthy is both political and personal, with Gaetz having threatened to do so for weeks. McCarthy had initially expressed reluctance to work with Democrats to retain his position but ultimately failed to convince them that his removal would be detrimental to the House.
Support for McCarthy’s Removal
Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Democrat Hakeem Jeffries sent a message indicating Democratic leadership’s support for McCarthy’s removal, given the unwillingness of extreme Republicans to cooperate. This signaled a shift in the party’s stance, as they had previously suggested they would not intervene in the Republican internal dispute.
