Washington β In an unprecedented turn of events, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy faced removal from his leadership role on Tuesday due to rising tensions within the far-right faction regarding his collaboration with Democrats for government funding.
This marks the first instance a House speaker has been voted out due to a lack of confidence.
The next interim speaker is expected to be chosen from a confidential list that McCarthy had put together earlier this year. The extent of authority this interim speaker will possess remains ambiguous, though Republicans are anticipated to advocate for stronger powers than their Democratic counterparts.
“Kevin McCarthy has made promises to both the administration, Democratic members of the House, and many within our conservative ranks that he hasn’t kept,” Gaetz remarked during a House session on Tuesday.
Just a day prior, Gaetz had alleged that McCarthy secretly collaborated with President Biden concerning Ukraine aid to ensure the passage of a short-term funding bill, mere hours before a potential government shutdown. However, McCarthy firmly refuted the claim of any such deal with the Democrats.
During a preliminary vote, eleven Republicans voted against McCarthy, signaling the challenges ahead for him.
The role of the Speaker of the House isn’t just confined to House leadership; it’s also a position that is second in line for the presidency. The act of voting out an active speaker mid-term is an unparalleled event in U.S. history. Supporters of McCarthy have cautioned against such a move, suggesting it would establish a problematic precedent for future speakers. This perspective, however, didn’t gain much traction among the Democrats.
The Democratic leaders encouraged their members to support the motion to oust McCarthy.
“Given the current political climate, our Democratic leadership will support the Republican-led motion,” Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries communicated to his members.
Despite the odds, McCarthy seemed optimistic before the vote, assuring reporters of his confidence in retaining his position. He highlighted his conversation with Jeffries but clarified he wouldn’t be depending on Democratic votes to remain as speaker.
Many Democrats seemed disinclined to back McCarthy, especially after he appeared on “Face the Nation” blaming them for the near-government shutdown, despite a larger number of Democrats supporting the bill to prolong government funding.
Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal was clear about the party’s stance, stating, “We stand united in our decision against McCarthy.”
Casey Burgat, a notable academic at George Washington University, emphasized the rarity of this event, stating that a speaker has never been removed in this manner before.
Gaetz, a known critic of McCarthy, played a significant role in extending the speaker’s election to an unprecedented 15 rounds. McCarthy had previously conceded to a term allowing any member to propose the speaker’s removal β a decision he now regrets. McCarthy described Gaetz’s challenge as being motivated by personal reasons.
On the historical front, there have been a few attempts to remove a speaker since 1910, but only one ever reached the voting stage.
In 1910, Republican House Speaker Joe Cannon faced a vote, which he overcame effortlessly. He continued as speaker for another year before losing his seat in the subsequent election.
In more recent history, attempts were made to remove Speakers John Boehner in 2015 and Nancy Pelosi in 2019, though neither went to a floor vote.