Kevin McCarthy has been toppled in a right-wing revolt – the first time ever that a US House of Representatives Speaker has lost a no-confidence vote.
Kevin McCarthy, a Republican leader in the House, lost his position in a close vote. Some members of his party were upset because he made a deal with Senate Democrats to fund government agencies. Now, there’s no clear person to lead the House Republicans.
The White House spokesperson, Karine Jean-Pierre, mentioned that President Biden wants the House to choose a new Speaker fast because the country’s problems can’t be put on hold. The last two Republican Speakers, Paul Ryan and John Boehner, left Congress after disagreements with their more conservative peers. This special motion to remove a Speaker, called “motion to vacate,” has only been tried twice in the last hundred years, in 2015 and 2010, but it never worked until Tuesday.
They have about 40 days to agree on a deal to prevent a government shutdown. The next Speaker of the House will face a difficult situation. A Republican named Matt Gaetz, who supports Trump, tried to use a rare method to remove McCarthy from his role.
He said McCarthy secretly agreed with the White House to keep supporting Ukraine, even as they were trying to avoid a government shutdown. McCarthy says this isn’t true. After the private meeting where he lost his job, McCarthy said he doesn’t plan to try to be Speaker again. Later, he criticized Gaetz, saying he just wanted attention.
McCarthy criticized Gaetz for sending emails about the issue, saying it’s not how a Congress member should act. He also said the people who removed him aren’t true conservatives.
McCarthy became Speaker in January after a tough voting process. Some right-wing Republicans, including Gaetz, didn’t support him. McCarthy had 210 Republican supporters, but eight voted against him along with all the Democrats.
Surprisingly, a moderate Republican named Nancy Mace also voted against him. She said she wants a Speaker who tells the truth and is honest with both parties.
Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he wouldn’t help McCarthy. Democrat Pramila Jayapal called the situation a mess caused by their incompetence.
The room was quiet as members waited for the vote results. A Republican from Arkansas, Steve Womack, declared the Speaker position empty with a loud bang of his gavel, surprising many. Earlier, Donald Trump said on social media that the party should focus on fighting Democrats instead of each other. A Republican from North Carolina, Patrick McHenry, who supported McCarthy, is now the temporary Speaker.
He put the House on a break for a week. It’s not clear if he’ll have all the Speaker’s powers or just some administrative ones. They haven’t said how long he can be interim Speaker, but there’s a vote for a new Speaker planned for October 11th. Some Republicans, like Steve Scalise from Louisiana and Tom Emmer from Minnesota, might be options, but they haven’t shown interest in the job.
The White House spokesperson, Karine Jean-Pierre, mentioned that President Biden wants the House to choose a new Speaker fast because the country’s problems can’t be put on hold. The last two Republican Speakers, Paul Ryan and John Boehner, left Congress after disagreements with their more conservative peers. This special motion to remove a Speaker, called “motion to vacate,” has only been tried twice in the last hundred years, in 2015 and 2010, but it never worked until Tuesday.
SOURCE:BBC