Kevin McCarthy removed as Congress Speaker in a first for the US

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In an unprecedented turn of events, US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy, was removed from his position on Tuesday. Kevin McCarthy, the 55th Speaker of the US House of Representatives was removed by a motion orchestrated by his own Republican Party members after he recently spearheaded a successful bipartisan effort to avert a US government shutdown.

This is the first time in the country’s history that a sitting Speaker of the US House of Representatives has been successfully asked to vacate his chair. McCarthy’s removal was spearheaded by Congressman Matt Gaetz and other hard-right members of his own Republican party, less than a year after his election.

Kevin McCarthy headlines a historic moment in American politics

The removal of Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House is a historic first in US politics.

Congressmen have never before removed a Speaker of the House forcibly. This moment brings an end to McCarthy’s brief tenure as Speaker, as he said in a press conference later in the day that he would not run for the post again.

House business

The removal of Kevin McCarthy has left the chair vacant and no legislative business can be conducted until the House of Representatives elects another speaker again. McCarthy had to undergo 15 rounds of voting to be elected in the first place after the US mid-term elections. The wafer-thin majority that the Republicans have in the House ensured that a minority of their members were able to deny him the post until they received some unprecedented concessions.

Republicans to vote for new Speaker

Republicans are set to hold a vote for a new speaker next Wednesday, following a closed-door meeting on October 10 to deliberate on potential candidates, as reported by Reuters.

McCarthy’s ouster and the motion to vacate the chair

The motion to oust McCarthy was led by Florida Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz, who initiated a motion to vacate the chair.

After McCarthy’s Republican allies failed to block the motion, a final vote was held on Tuesday afternoon. Eight hard-right Republicans joined 208 Democrats to vote for McCarthy’s removal, while 210 Republicans unsuccessfully attempted to retain him.

McCarthy required a simple majority to maintain his position but could not garner enough votes.

Consequences

Following McCarthy’s removal, Congressman Patrick McHenry of North Carolina was designated as the acting speaker until a new House leader is elected.

Both Republicans and Democrats held meetings to chart their paths forward.

Former Vice President and current US presidential candidate Mike Pence expressed concerns that the GOP’s internal fighting could harm the party’s image as the country heads to the polls in 2024.

Multiple Republican members of Congress hinted at discussions regarding Gaetz’s potential expulsion from the Republican conference, although individual positions on the matter were not disclosed.

McCarthy’s ouster

The eight Republicans who voted alongside Democrats to remove McCarthy cited various reasons for their decision.

The Democratic Party members cited on multiple TV news channels that McCarthy had “never tried to build a relationship across the aisle” and had “repeatedly turned on his word to them” – the most recent being the impeachment enquiry brought against US President Joe Biden.

Uncertain future

McCarthy’s nine months in the House has been marked by conflicts between the Speaker and the hard-right faction of his conference. With the House majority held by a narrow margin, Republicans now face the challenging task of electing a leader capable of uniting a deeply divided party.

US Government business 

The trigger for McCarthy’s removal was the successful short-term funding bill passed by the House to keep the US Government functioning until November. However, with the chair of the Speaker vacant, all legislative activity in the House grinds to a halt until a new leader is chosen.

President Biden urged the Congressmen to do so quickly.