Finally, Kevin McCarthy Ousted as House Speaker

Last Updated on October 23, 2023 by SPN Editor

For the first time in American history, a stunning vote led by rebel Republicans removed a House Speaker from the post. In a vote that saw eight Republicans aligning with their Democratic counterparts, Kevin McCarthy was ousted by a count of 216 to 210. This marked the inception of a new power struggle as the lower chamber descended into a state of unprecedented chaos.

On Tuesday, the House made a close vote to kick out Kevin McCarthy. This means that Kevin McCarthy, who became the House speaker in January, was almost certain to lose his job. Some members of his own group were strongly opposing him.

With a resounding declaration, the House Clerk announced, ‘The position of Speaker of the United States House of Representatives is officially vacated.’ This historic proclamation followed a dramatic sequence of events.

The path ahead for the House remains shrouded in uncertainty, a terrain previously uncharted. According to House rules, Rep. Patrick McHenry of North Carolina is expected to assume the role of ‘House Speaker pro tempore,’ temporarily filling the void left by McCarthy’s departure. McHenry will preside over the House until a new House Speaker is duly elected.

McCarthy’s time as the House speaker was marked by a widespread sense of mistrust from different groups. Even though he promised to make changes in Washington and remained determined despite constant doubt, he faced challenges from conservative members of the House.

His last-minute compromises with the very conservative faction seemed to be a big part of the laws that got passed. But there were two important times when he went against his conservative supporters: first, during a heated debate about the debt ceiling, and more recently, when he agreed to prevent a government shutdown. These actions weakened his support among the people he strongly supported.

McCarthy’s path to becoming the House Speaker was challenging and took more than ten years. He originally came into the political scene as one of the promising leaders, part of a group of three individuals who were expected to take charge of the party when the right moment came. However, in 2015, McCarthy’s ambitions were suddenly halted. A group of conservative lawmakers on the right side of the political spectrum believed he wasn’t conservative enough, and they prevented him from becoming House Speaker.

In January, McCarthy faced similar challenges when a persistent group of Republicans put him through a tough 15-round test before reluctantly making him the House Speaker. However, just nine months later, a small but determined group of Republican rebels, including Rep. Andy Biggs, Rep. Ken Buck, Rep. Tom Burchett, Rep. Eli Crane, Rep. Matt Gaetz, Rep. Bob Good, Rep. Nancy Mace, and Rep. Matt Rosendale—many of whom had opposed his rise to power earlier—voted to remove him from his position.

• Also Read: Matt Gaetz Wants to Remove Speaker Kevin McCarthy

The last person to resist McCarthy’s leadership for the position of Speaker was Matt Gaetz, a prominent member of the House’s far-right faction. Gaetz triggered McCarthy’s downfall by officially proposing the motion to remove him, which set in motion the crucial vote.

As the fate of the motion hung in the balance, Gaetz made a significant statement, saying, ‘It is becoming more and more evident whose interests the Speaker of the House actually represents, and it’s not the Republican group.’ He spoke these words on Monday, hinting at the drama that was about to unfold.

McCarthy tried to challenge Gaetz’s intentions as the vote was called, claiming that the Florida Republican had personal grievances and had planned to remove him from the start. McCarthy strongly defended his choice to prevent a government shutdown, even if it put his own position at risk. He stated, ‘Ultimately, making sure the government runs smoothly and supporting our armed forces was the correct decision. If I have to lose my position for it, then that’s how it will be. I will keep fighting for the benefit of the American people.’

While discussing the motion, McCarthy’s supporters came to his aid, praising his achievements and arguing that removing him would endanger the Republican party’s control of the House. However, because the Republican majority in the House was very narrow, the opposition from conservative members was enough to put McCarthy’s position at risk. Ultimately, it was the Democrats who sealed his fate by supporting his removal.

There were rumors and discussions about whether Democrats might help McCarthy, either by voting against the motion, delaying it, or even voting ‘present’ to make it easier for him to stay in power. However, the leaders of the House Democrats made it very clear that they intended to support his removal. The rest of the Democratic group quickly followed this decision.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries emphasized the seriousness of the situation. In a letter to his fellow caucus members, he stated, ‘The responsibility for resolving the internal conflicts within the House Republican party now falls squarely on the shoulders of GOP members.’

Some Democrats might have seen McCarthy as the better choice among two not-so-great options because any other Speaker would probably have been even more conservative. However, Democrats were not happy with McCarthy. In a press briefing before the vote, McCarthy admitted that he didn’t expect support from Democrats because it would have been unrealistic to expect them to share power across party lines. Nevertheless, he remained confident in his ability to remain as the Speaker.

McCarthy asked a rhetorical question, saying, ‘Why am I confident?’ He answered himself, saying, ‘Because of who I am. I don’t give up. Life has presented challenges, and I’ve faced setbacks. There was a time when many doubted me. Nevertheless, I am here today as the 55th Speaker of the House.’

Now that McCarthy has stepped down as Speaker, the House is getting ready for an important vote to choose a new Speaker. It’s unclear who this new Speaker will be, as the Republican group in the House is dealing with internal disagreements, and finding someone who can get most of the votes is uncertain.

Former President Donald Trump took the opportunity to raise a question about the ongoing internal conflicts among Republicans. He wondered, ‘Why is it that Republicans always seem to be fighting amongst themselves? Why don’t they focus on opposing the Radical Left Democrats, who they believe are harming our nation?’ He shared these thoughts in a social media post before the important vote took place.”