On Monday, hardline Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz took action aimed at ousting Kevin McCarthy from his position as Speaker of the House after McCarthy narrowly avoided a partial government shutdown by passing a bill that received more support from Democrats than from Republicans. Gaetz introduced what is called a "motion to vacate," which would trigger a vote on McCarthy's removal from his role as Speaker.
Shortly after the anticipated move in the House, Gaetz held an impromptu press conference where he acknowledged that his efforts might fail, at least on the first attempt. The Republicans hold a slim majority in the House with 221 votes against 212 for the Democrats, and it may take at least five defections to threaten McCarthy's grip on the position if all Democrats vote against him. Gaetz and other far-right Republicans are angered by McCarthy's reliance on Democratic votes to pass a temporary funding extension on Saturday, which prevented a partial government shutdown.
