The U.S. House of Representatives voted to remove its Speaker, Kevin McCarthy (Republican from California), marking the first time in U.S. history that a House Speaker has been ousted. The vote concluded with 216 in favor and 210 against McCarthy's removal, leaving the position of Speaker vacant.
Following the announcement of McCarthy's removal, reactions varied between the Democratic and Republican parties. Patrick McHenry was appointed as the interim Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. The disputes between McCarthy and his Republican colleagues led to increased chaos in Congress just days after narrowly avoiding a government shutdown.
The removal vote was supported by a relatively small group of right-wing Republicans, led by Representative Matt Gaetz, a Florida Republican and McCarthy critic who accused him of not working hard enough to cut federal spending. Gaetz told reporters after the vote, "Kevin McCarthy... came to power by accumulating special interest money and redistributing that money for services."
This incident marked the latest charged moment within the Republican-controlled House, which had brought Washington to the brink of defaulting on its obligations and nearing a partial government shutdown. The Republicans hold a slim majority in the House with 221 seats to 212, meaning they cannot afford to lose more than five votes if all Democrats unite against them. This was seen on Tuesday when eight Republicans joined 208 Democrats in voting for McCarthy’s removal.
The vote left Congress in a state of uncertainty as it struggles to update farm and nutrition support programs, pass government funding bills, and consider additional aid for Ukraine. It remains unclear who will succeed McCarthy, with other Republican leaders like Steve Scalise and Tom Emmer potentially in contention, though none have publicly expressed interest in the position. An interim leadership role has been assigned to another member of the leadership team, Representative Patrick McHenry.
The last two Republican Speakers, Paul Ryan and John Boehner, stepped down from Congress after clashes with the right-wing faction. In theory, lawmakers could vote to re-instate McCarthy in his position.
During a debate in the House chamber, Gaetz and some of his allies criticized McCarthy for relying on Democratic votes to pass temporary funding that averted a partial government shutdown. Meanwhile, McCarthy's supporters, including several prominent conservatives, claimed he had succeeded in curbing spending and advancing other conservative priorities despite Democratic control of the White House and Senate. They warned that gains made would be at risk if their leader was ousted.
There was no support for McCarthy from Democrats, despite speculation that some might vote for him to maintain balance in the House. Democrats stated they consider McCarthy untrustworthy after he broke an agreement on spending with President Joe Biden and expressed anger over his decision to greenlight an impeachment inquiry against the President.
