Rep Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has been ousted from the speakership after a motion to vacate was filed by Rep Matt Gaetz (R-FL). It\u2019s the first time in history that a speaker has been removed by the House. <\/p>\n
This comes after Mr McCarthy struck a deal with Democrats over the weekend on a 45-day funding resolution to avert a government shutdown. <\/p>\n
Eight Republicans voted with the Democrats to remove Mr McCarthy, including Reps Andy Biggs, Ken Buck, Tim Burchett, Eli Crane, Bob Good, Nancy Mace, Matt Rosendale, and Mr Gaetz. <\/p>\n
The final tally was 216 supporting the ouster and 210 members voting against it. Rep Patrick McHenry was named as the interim speaker. <\/p>\n
Speaking to reporters after the vote, Mr Gaetz said, \u201cKevin McCarthy couldn’t keep his word. He made an agreement in January regarding the way Washington would work and he violated that agreement. We are $33 trillion in debt. We are facing $2.2 trillion annual deficits\u201d. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe face a de-dollarization globally that will crush Americans, working-class Americans,\u201d he added. \u201cKevin McCarthy is a feature of the swamp. He has risen to power by collecting special interest money and redistributing that money in exchange for favours. We are breaking the fever now. And we should elect a speaker who’s better.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Gaetz pitched Majority Leader Steve Scalise as a possible new speaker, saying that his GOP colleagues were in the \u201cstages of grief\u201d. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think there was a stage of denial and I’ve certainly experienced a good amount of their anger. And now we appear to be headed towards bargaining,\u201d he said, adding that he \u201cthinks the world of Steve Scalise\u201d and that he would be a \u201cphenomenal speaker\u201d. <\/p>\n
When asked if he was worried about being expelled from the chamber, he said: \u201cLet me know when they the votes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before the vote, there was discussion that centrist Democrats may come to Mr McCarthy\u2019s aid, but Politico reported that at least six of them agreed that Mr McCarthy had \u201cgiven them no incentive to salvage his besieged speakership\u201d.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s no obvious replacement for Mr McCarthy, with The Washington Post reporting before the vote that many Republicans have said they will renominate Mr McCarthy for speaker and not allow the House to adjourn until he\u2019s reelected.<\/p>\n
Asked if, like in January, we could see another 15 rounds to confirm Mr McCarthy as speaker again, Mr Gatez said, \u201cI don’t think we will. I think Kevin McCarthy should take a hint\u201d. <\/p>\n
\u201cAfter 15 ballots to become speaker after eight months of a failed speakership and after removal in this historic manner, I think we should move on and find somebody else,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
Asked about the possibility that the House is now paralyzed in the face of more government funding needing to be approved by early next month, Mr Gaetz said: \u201cWhat’s paralyzed the House of Representatives has been the failure of Speaker McCarthy. What paralyzed the House of Representatives was not taking up appropriations bills. We left for a six-week vacation while the appropriations process hung in the balance. Because I forced these people to take a few votes, you think I’m paralyzing the House of Representatives?\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cI think the House of Representatives has been paralyzed for the last several decades as we’ve refused to pass a budget as we’ve governed by continuing resolution and omnibus bill,\u201d he added. \u201cThis represents the ripping off of the band aid and that’s what we need to do to get back on track.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked about not having a viable replacement, Mr Gaetz said, \u201cfor certain, Kevin McCarthy can’t get 218 votes. So let’s try the next person\u201d. <\/p>\n
When asked if he would put himself forward, he said, \u201cAbsolutely not.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Mace told reporters that \u201cif you promise women you’re going to help them, then you damn well better do it. So as a fiscal conservative \u2013 I’m angry, as a woman \u2013 I am deeply frustrated,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
Mr McCarthy was unable to kill the vote to vacate the chair, losing a motion to table the vote 208 to 218 with 11 members of his own party voting against the motion. The last vote to vacate the speakership took place in 1910 but such a vote has never before been successful. <\/p>\n
The 11 Republicans to vote to allow the motion to vacate to proceed the floor included, Mr Crane, Mr Buck, Victoria Spartz, Mr Biggs, Mr Rosendale, Mr Gaetz, Mr Good, Ms Mace, Mr Burchett, Cory Mills, and Warren Davidson. <\/p>\n
House fails to block vote to oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy<\/p>\n
Ms Spartz wrote on X before the vote that \u201cI will not table @RepMattGaetz\u2019s Motion to Vacate @SpeakerMcCarthy and allow it to proceed to the floor but I will not vote to vacate the speaker at this time,\u201d meaning that she would be allowing the vote on removing the speaker to reach the floor, but that she would ultimately vote for Mr McCarthy to remain in the post. <\/p>\n
Mr Burchett told reporters ahead of the vote that he was mostly hearing \u201ccondescending comments\u201d from the GOP leadership. <\/p>\n
Asked if the leadership was still trying to win him over, he said: \u201cI think they’ve gotten past that. I think they’re just making me feel more confident about\u201d his motivations. <\/p>\n
\u201cLast thing he told me last Saturday was \u2018I really want to be speaker\u2019,\u201d he said of Mr McCarthy. <\/p>\n
Mr Burchett went on to note the importance of his faith. \u201cWhen I make a statement that I’m praying about it, I am praying about it and then when I get a call from the speaker and he belittles that \u2013 to me that shows another reason why we need a change in leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rep Andy Ogles was polling his followers on X before the vote on who may replace Mr McCarthy, including former President Donald Trump, who, despite not being a member of the House, is technically eligible for the role. However, it\u2019s considered highly unlikely that he would be offered, or accept, the post. <\/p>\n
Mr McCarthy was only able to lose four Republicans in the face of a unified Democratic Party. But six Republicans said before the vote that they would support the removal of the speaker. Without a larger number of absences, Mr McCarthy would have had to rely on Democratic support to survive. That support didn\u2019t materialise and a total number of eight Republicans voted to boot the speaker. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe are ready, willing and able to work together with our Republican colleagues, but it is on them to join us,\u201d Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told the press on Tuesday morning. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf five Republicans go with Democrats, then I\u2019m out,\u201d Mr McCarthy said on Tuesday morning ahead of the vote. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat seems likely,\u201d Rachel Scott of ABC said. <\/p>\n
\u201cProbably so,\u201d Mr McCarthy said. <\/p>\n
About a deal with the Democrats, Mr McCarthy told CNBC: \u201cThey haven\u2019t asked for anything. I\u2019m not going to provide anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
About a power-sharing agreement, he said, \u201cthat doesn\u2019t work\u201d. <\/p>\n
Republican Rep Mark Alford blasted the anti-McCarthy faction during an appearance on CNN on Tuesday ahead of the vote, saying that the \u201cshenanigans\u201d will delay the negotiations on how to fund the government. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe have 45 days to get this done for the American people. And this is gamesmanship that is going to slow us down and prevent us from doing the work that our voters sent us here to do. It\u2019s unacceptable,\u201d he said, adding that he\u2019s concerned about what the infighting may mean for the Republicans\u2019 chances in 2024. <\/p>\n
\u201cAmericans are seeing that we need a marriage counsellor, basically, in our conference and until we get this family settled and we get communication and trust back in the relationships, I\u2019m afraid we might lose our majority. We were sent here to do our job, and without that majority, we cannot get it done,\u201d he told CNN. \u201cAnd with the slim majority that we\u2019ve had so far, Kevin McCarthy has been a miracle worker and able to push the ball forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
Debating the motion to vacate, Mr Gaetz responded to Ohio Rep Jim Jordan who listed Mr McCarthy\u2019s \u201caccomplishments\u201d. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe problem with my friend from Ohio\u2019s argument, many of the bills he references as passed are not law. It\u2019s hard to make the argument that oversight is the reason to continue when it looks like failure theatre,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe one thing that The White House, Democrats and many of us on the conservative side of the Republican caucus have in common, McCarthy said something to all of us at one point that he didn\u2019t really mean and never intended to live up to,\u201d Mr Gaetz said as he argued from the Democratic side of the House after allies of Mr McCarthy blocked all the microphones on the GOP side, according to Punchbowl News. <\/p>\n
The Republican side of the House groaned as Mr Gaetz spoke about a supposed \u201csecret deal on Ukraine\u201d between Mr McCarthy and President Joe Biden. <\/p>\n
Rep Garret Graves slammed Mr Gaetz for fundraising off of his push to oust Mr McCarthy, prompting shouts of shame from the Republican side, while Rep Kelly Armstrong said, \u201cThe incentive structure in this town is completely broken… we have descended to a place where clicks, TV hits and the neverending quest for the most mediocre taste of celebrity drives decisions and encourages juvenile behaviour\u201d.<\/p>\n
More follows…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Rep Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has been ousted from the speakership after a motion to vacate was filed by Rep Matt Gaetz (R-FL). It\u2019s the first time in history that a speaker has been removed by the House. This comes after Mr McCarthy struck a deal with Democrats over the weekend on a 45-day funding resolution […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2485,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[173],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2484","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n