By Ailya Khan
Staff Writer
The United States House of Representatives enters uncharted waters with the recent removal of Republican Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House. This ousting is quite extraordinary, marking the first time in U.S. history a speaker has been voted out of office. Several members of the GOP aligned with the House Democrats and moved to push McCarthy out of office, rebelling against their own party.
The rebellion was instigated by Republican Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz, after McCarthy’s debt deal with President Joe Biden in efforts to prevent a government shutdown. This sudden ousting was actually the final explosion of long building tensions between McCarthy and the right-wing faction of the house, as he has been criticized by Republicans for not living up to his promises and being untruthful, according to AP News.
McCarthy had originally secured his position as speaker of the house on the 15th ballot with 216 votes, after a drawn out process of 14 unsuccessful ballots, according to Roll Call. In order to gain the support of Republicans that were not entirely in his favor, McCarthy agreed to a number of concessions, one being a rule change that would allow only a single member to bring on a "motion to vacate" and try to force him out of office. This modification is what eventually allowed for his removal by the efforts of Gaetz.
Gaetz has long accused McCarthy as unreliable to uphold certain conservative principles, according to BBC News. For example, conservatives strongly opposed McCarthy relying on Democratic votes to secure a short term spending deal as they adamantly demanded larger spending cuts. McCarthy had also negotiated with Democrats in the summer to raise the debt ceiling without establishing the spending cuts Republicans called for, further perpetuating these complaints.
Gaetz introduced a motion to vacate, which initiated a 48-hour process in which the House was able to remove the speaker. The motion to vacate passed with a vote of 216-210, officially declaring the office of the speaker of the house as vacant for the first time during a term. All 208 Democrats, along with eight Republicans, teamed up to push McCarthy out of office. The majority of Republicans attempted to save McCarthy, but were unable to battle the storm Gaetz had set into motion, according to NBC News.
The now former speaker has asserted that he does not intend on re-running for the position, according to AP, leaving the path clear for any Republican who may want to take the position.
As for the next steps, Republican Patrick McHenry has been named speaker pro tempore, and is currently acting speaker. McHenry was chosen as temporary speaker from a private list given to the House Clerk by McCarthy when he was initially elected. This list consists of options for replacements in the event of a vacancy.
The speaker pro tempore can fill the role of the speaker indefinitely, but does not have the full authority of an elected speaker, but only those that are deemed "necessary and proper," according to AP. McHenry is unable to bring any matter of legislation to the floor, but he is however urgently faced with the matter of electing a new speaker.
The minimal power of a temporary speaker significantly immobilizes legislative action in the House, presenting a dire need for someone to be elected to the position urgently. Additionally, this shocking majority decision intensifies questions surrounding crucial matters such as an annual budget, avoiding a government shutdown and financial aid for Ukraine, according to BBC News. Prominent issues such as these and many more will become pressingly urgent as the House works to fill the office of the speaker. A vote is planned to take place after the House resumes from a week-long recess.
These latest events within the House of Representatives seem to be generating chaos within the government. Differing opinions amongst Republicans regarding McCarthy’s ousting are causing deep divisions within the GOP, hindering the process of choosing a new speaker. Two potential candidates that announced their intention to run are Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump, and Steve Scalise (R-La.), according to The Washington Post. As Congress grapples with this issue, the future of the Republican majority within the House becomes steadily unclear.
