House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was dethroned from his leadership position in a historic vote on Tuesday, marking a watershed moment in American politics. A far-right revolt within the Republican Party, incensed by McCarthy’s reliance on Democrats to secure funding and avert a government shutdown, culminated in this unprecedented removal.
The final tally, a razor-thin 216-210, saw eight Republicans crossing the aisle to join forces with Democrats in their effort to unseat McCarthy. This marks the first time in the annals of American political history that a House Speaker has been ousted through a vote of no confidence.
Kevin McCarthy ousted
“The office of Speaker of the House of the United States House of Representatives is hereby declared vacant,” proclaimed Republican Rep. Steve Womack of Arkansas, who was presiding over the chamber at the time.
In a swift and calculated move, Rep. Patrick McHenry of North Carolina, a staunch ally of McCarthy’s and a member of the Financial Services Committee, was appointed speaker pro tempore. According to the rules of the 118th Congress, in the event of a vacancy in the office of Speaker, the next member on a list submitted by McCarthy to the House clerk in January assumes the role of speaker pro tempore until a new Speaker is elected.
Broken promises
Following the momentous vote, House Republicans convened a conference to deliberate their next course of action.
“The reason Kevin McCarthy went down today is because nobody trusts Kevin McCarthy,” asserted Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida during a press briefing after the vote. “Kevin McCarthy has made multiple contradictory promises, and when they all came due, he lost votes of people who maybe don’t even ideologically agree with me on everything.”
Gaetz likened this development to the “ripping off of the Band-Aid,” suggesting it might be the necessary catalyst for getting the party back on track.
Just one day before the historic vote, Gaetz accused McCarthy of striking a “secret side deal” with President Biden regarding Ukraine aid to secure the passage of a short-term funding bill, mere hours before a government shutdown loomed. McCarthy vehemently denied any such deal, but the allegation added fuel to the fire.
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