- A handful of Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday ousted Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
- The 216-to-210 vote marked the first time in history that the House removed its leader, with eight Republicans voting with 208 Democrats to remove McCarthy.
- McCarthy told reporters he would not make another run for speaker.
- A vote on a new speaker planned for Oct. 11.
- McCarthy’s ouster as speaker brings legislative activity in the House to a halt, with another government shutdown deadline looming on Nov. 17 if Congress does not extend funding.
- McCarthy had repeatedly angered Democrats in recent weeks, including by launching an impeachment inquiry into Biden.
A handful of Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday ousted Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy, as party infighting plunged Congress into further chaos just days after it narrowly averted a government shutdown.
The 216-to-210 vote marked the first time in history that the House removed its leader, with eight Republicans voting with 208 Democrats to remove McCarthy. McCarthy told reporters he would not make another run for speaker.
The House looked set to go leaderless for at least a week, as multiple Republicans said they planned to meet on Oct. 10 to discuss possible McCarthy successors, with a vote on a new speaker planned for Oct. 11.
Tuesday’s rebellion was led by Representative Matt Gaetz, a far-right Republican from Florida and McCarthy antagonist who finally turned on the speaker after he on Saturday relied on Democratic votes to help pass a bill to avoid a partial government shutdown. It was the latest moment of high drama in a year when the Republican-controlled House brought Washington to the brink of a catastrophic default on U.S. debt of $31.4 trillion and a partial government shutdown. Republicans control the chamber by a narrow 221-212 majority, meaning they can afford to lose no more than five votes if Democrats unite in opposition.
McCarthy’s ouster as speaker brings legislative activity in the House to a halt, with another government shutdown deadline looming on Nov. 17 if Congress does not extend funding. The White House said it hoped the House would move swiftly to choose a replacement speaker, a position second in line to the presidency after the vice president.
The vote left Congress in uncharted waters as it scrambles to update farm subsidy and nutrition programs, pass government funding bills, and consider further aid to Ukraine.
McCarthy had repeatedly angered Democrats in recent weeks, including by launching an impeachment inquiry into Biden and by giving them little time to read a stopgap spending bill to avert a government shutdown that he needed their votes to pass.
Democrats could have saved McCarthy but, after considering it, said they would not help Republicans resolve their own problems. Other Republican leaders like Steve Scalise and Tom Emmer could possibly be candidates, though neither has publicly expressed interest. Representative Patrick McHenry was named to the post on a temporary basis.
The last two Republican speakers, Paul Ryan and John Boehner, retired from Congress after clashes with their right wing.
In the debate on the House floor, Gaetz and a handful of allies criticized McCarthy for relying on Democratic votes to pass temporary funding that headed off a partial government shutdown.
McCarthy’s supporters, including some of the chamber’s most vocal conservatives, said McCarthy had successfully limited spending and advanced other conservative priorities even though Democrats control the White House and the Senate.
(With inputs from agencies)
