In a historic turn of events, Kevin McCarthy has been ousted as House Speaker in a vote that marks the first time in 113 years that the House has voted to remove its own speaker.[0] The vote, which took place on Tuesday, saw 216 members vote to strip McCarthy of the gavel, with eight Republicans breaking ranks to vote against him.[1] All Democrats united to oppose McCarthy. The House is now facing a scramble to find a new speaker, and the situation is further complicated by the fact that Congress has only a little over a month before government funding is set to expire.[2]
The events leading up to McCarthy's removal began when Representative Matt Gaetz introduced a motion to vacate the speakership on Monday.[3] Gaetz, frustrated by McCarthy's decision to pass a continuing resolution and keep the government open, led seven other Republicans to break ranks and vote with Democrats to oust McCarthy.[1] The move sent shockwaves through the House and left Republicans scrambling to find a new leader.
Gaetz, the man who started it all, has no plan for who will replace McCarthy now that he has lost.[1] The House is left in a state of uncertainty as Republicans try to find a clear front-runner for the speaker position. So far, two candidates, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, have declared their candidacies.[4] However, neither has the votes to win at this stage, as Republicans are just beginning to choose sides.[5]
The removal of McCarthy as House Speaker has raised questions about the future of the Republican Party and its ability to govern effectively. Some observers argue that McCarthy's downfall could ultimately be good for the House as an institution. Republicans currently have a numerical majority but not a governing majority, and a small faction within the party has the power to stall legislation and force the rest of the party to accept poison-pill amendments.[6] The removal of McCarthy highlights the divisions within the party and the need for a new approach to governance.
The events surrounding McCarthy's removal have also sparked discussions about the role of House speakers and the power dynamics within the chamber. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi criticized the eviction of McCarthy as a “sharp departure from tradition,” highlighting the fact that she had given her predecessor, former Speaker Dennis Hastert, a significantly larger suite of offices for as long as he wished.[7] Pelosi emphasized that office space doesn't matter to her, but it seems to be important to Republicans.[7]
There are also calls for changes to the House rules to prevent future speaker evictions. Some Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, hope that the next speaker will get rid of the motion to vacate, which they argue makes the speaker's job impossible and leads to dysfunction. However, it remains to be seen whether House Republicans will be able to agree on a new speaker and whether any changes to the rules will be implemented.
As the House continues its search for a new speaker, the eyes of the nation are on the chamber and its ability to navigate the challenges ahead.[1] With government funding set to expire in just over a month, finding a new leader who can unite Republicans and work with Democrats will be crucial. The coming weeks will be a test for the House and its ability to govern effectively in the face of division and uncertainty.
0. “Interim House Speaker ‘evicts' two senior Democrats from Capitol” BBC.com, 4 Oct. 2023, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-67005444
1. “Republicans Are So Mad They're Airing All of Matt Gaetz's Dirty Laundry” The New Republic, 3 Oct. 2023, https://newrepublic.com/post/175996/republicans-gross-stories-matt-gaetz
2. “Trump World Warns House GOP Against Emmer as Majority Leader” TIME, 4 Oct. 2023, https://time.com/6320599/trump-house-republicans-tom-emmer/
3. “Matt Gaetz uses McCarthy ouster, boos from colleagues to launch campaign fundraising push” Fox News, 4 Oct. 2023, https://www.foxnews.com/politics/matt-gaetz-mccarthy-ouster-boos-colleagues-launch-campaign-fundraising-push
4. “The “Trump for Speaker” Campaign Shipwrecks on the Shoals of Stupidity” The Nation, 5 Oct. 2023, https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/donald-trump-speaker-campaign
5. “Senators skeptical of House GOP push for a more conservative speaker” NBC News, 6 Oct. 2023, https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/senators-skeptical-house-gop-push-conservative-speaker-rcna118738
6. “Jeffries calls effort to kick Pelosi, Hoyer out of hideaway offices ‘petty, partisan and petulant’” The Hill, 6 Oct. 2023, https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4242262-jeffries-pelosi-hoyer-hideaway-offices-petty-partisan-gop/
7. “Pelosi rebukes interim speaker for office eviction as she attended Feinstein service” The Guardian US, 4 Oct. 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/oct/04/nancy-pelosi-republican-patrick-mchenry-office-kevin-mccarthy-speaker
