On Tuesday, October 3, House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy was removed from his post. With conservatives and Democrats joining forces, the Republican Speaker was ousted by a 216-210 vote of House members. The removal marks the first time in U.S. history that the speaker of the House has been voted out of office.
All 208 Democrats in the House alongside eight Republicans were enough to vacate the Speaker’s role. The GOP rebels were led by Republican House representative Matt Gaetz. Gaetz, long a critic of the Speaker, said that McCarthy failed on his promise to cut government spending levels. Just a few days earlier, McCarthy made a deal with President Joe Biden and House Democrats to prevent a government shutdown which didn’t appreciably lower spending, angering many conservatives. Gaetz also accused McCarthy of making a secret deal with President Biden regarding aid for Ukraine. Since then, Gaetz swore to file a motion to vacate, ultimately succeeding. Gaetz even proceeded to express, “Chaos is Speaker McCarthy.”
However, McCarthy’s removal had repercussions for those other than himself: the Republican Party. Following the motion, the party was fractured between the group who voted for the motion and the majority of House Republicans, who dismissed it. Furthermore, the House must also now vote for a new Speaker. After a new Speaker is elected, a government-funding bill must be passed by November. If the bill does not pass, there will be a government shutdown, causing more chaos and blame for the Republican Party. Republicans are set to attend a conference vote for the new Speaker on Wednesday, October 11.
While removing the Speaker has been unprecedented throughout history, McCarthy’s position has been unfavorable to many from the day he assumed office. The conservative faction within the Republican Party, or the right-wing faction, has not trusted McCarthy to uphold conservative principles. The faction attempted to block McCarthy’s election in January. After his deal with President Biden to raise the debt ceiling, many in this group turned on McCarthy and voted for his removal.
With the uncertainty within the Republican Party, the Democrats’ chances of flipping the chamber in their favor is heightened. The Democrats proved a united front, with the entire House Democratic caucus voting unanimously to remove McCarthy. McCarthy chose not to reach out to any Democrats ahead of the vote. He tried to reason with Democrats during his speech, arguing how removing the Speaker would create an “irreversible black mark” on the institution. However, Democrats did not change their position as they resented McCarthy’s reaction to the Capitol insurrection in January of 2021. McCarthy had announced that Trump was responsible for the violence, yet he flew to Florida to speak to Trump and make amends. Many Democrats viewed this as hypocrisy and refused to support McCarthy in the vote.
Now, the House must choose a new Speaker. The Republican candidate will be tasked with uniting the various factions that exist. Representative Patrick McHenry, the speaker pro tempore, currently has the power to oversee the election of a new speaker. The two candidates from the Republican Party are Steve Scalise, the current House Majority Leader, and Jim Jordan. In addition, McCarthy has not ruled out his intention to run again. Representative Majorie Taylor Greene spoke, “There are quite a few members that said they’re not ready to move forward to elect a speaker.” The Republican representatives are unlikely to be united in their vote as Gaetz has confirmed that he will not vote for McCarthy if he decides to run again.
House Democrats plan to nominate Hakeem Jeffries, the minority leader of the House. In order for a candidate to become Speaker, they must win at least 218 votes. If no one gets 218 votes, the House will be without a Speaker heading into the next government shutdown standoff in mid-November. Without electing a Speaker, the house is also unable to send military aid to Israel following the militant attacks or pass a solidarity resolution. With a shaken-up House, the candidate who wins the majority vote for Speaker remains uncertain. However, one thing is certain: without a Speaker, the lives of every U.S. citizen will be affected.
