The House Ousts Speaker McCarthy

For now, Rep. McCarthy (R-CA) is no longer Speaker of the House.  A small group of House Republicans, led by Rep. Gaetz (R-FL) joined with Democrats to oust him.  Tuesday marks the first time the House has ever voted to remove a sitting Speaker, a historic development that will catapult the chamber into another chaotic Speaker’s race following January’s marathon election.

In the more than two-hour caucus meeting earlier that day, House Democrats came to a decision that they would not help House Speaker McCarthy keep his job.  Democrats blasted McCarthy for going back on his word on the debt ceiling agreement, the handling of Saturday’s CR and his last-minute decision to put a bill on the floor without giving Democrats the time to read the legislation and then forcing the vote with procedural tactics.  Additionally, his comments that he would not cut a deal with Democrats was another major issue. Candidly, they were never going to save McCarthy without getting something for their efforts.

On Monday evening, Rep. Gaetz (R-FL) introduced a motion to vacate the chair, which set the stage for a parliamentary process that, if approved, would result in McCarthy losing the Speakership.  McCarthy needed only a simple majority of House members voting to stop the effort to remove him. Republicans hold a slim majority and just five could join unified Democrats to remove McCarthy from the Speaker’s office; six ultimately did and voted against him.