In an unprecedented move, the US House of Representatives removed Kevin McCarthy from his position as Speaker. The move was made possible by a joint effort of a handful of Republicans siding with the Democrats, leading to a 216-210 vote.
The event marks the first instance in the House’s 234-year history that it has supported a resolution “to vacate the speaker’s office.” The development sets the stage for an intense race to replace McCarthy, a mere year ahead of the presidential election.
Criticism from Within
Post-ouster Representative Matt Gaetz did not mince words in expressing his disdain for McCarthy. Gaetz dubbed McCarthy “a creature of the swamp,” attributing his rise to power to collecting and redistributing special interest money in exchange for favours. He emphasized the need to elect a better speaker, saying, “We are breaking the fever.”
Meanwhile, the role of acting Speaker was conferred upon Representative Patrick McHenry, a staunch ally of McCarthy. The key Republicans behind this push against McCarthy included Andy Biggs, Ken Buck, Tim Burchett, Eli Crane, Matt Gaetz, Bob Good, Nancy Mace, and Matt Rosendale.
Fiscal Differences and Personal Grudges
The core disagreement stemmed from McCarthy’s handling of fiscal concerns. Particularly, his collaboration with Democrats to avert a government shutdown by bringing forth a “clean” stopgap funding bill was not well-received by members of his party.
As The Hill reported, this move was McCarthy’s fallback plan after an initial GOP funding scheme faced blockage from several party members, including some who voted for his removal.
Further deepening the rift were personal motivations, with Gaetz having openly threatened a vote-based removal for weeks. While McCarthy intended to seek support from Democrats by highlighting the negative repercussions of the motion for the House institution, House Minority Leader Democrat Hakeem Jeffries clarified that the Democratic leadership would back the initiative to oust McCarthy. Jeffries lamented the GOP’s allegiance to “MAGA extremism” and pinned the responsibility of resolving the “House Republican Civil War” on GOP members.
