By Aaron Miller-
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has been removed from his leadership position following a challenge from within his own party.
The Republican leader faced a motion to vacate his office, a challenge brought forth by Donald Trump ally Matt Gaetz.
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This unprecedented event marks the first time in the country’s history that a House Speaker has been voted out by House representatives.
Thee vote to oust McCarthy came after a motion to remove the chair from the Florida Republican congressman Matt Gaetz.
South Carolina congresswoman Nancy Mace said McCarthy “has not lived up to his word on how the House would operate”, and argued that the chaos in Congress would be worse with McCarthy in charge than without him. “We need a fresh start,” she said
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After McCarthy’s Republican allies failed to block the motion from moving forward, a final vote was held on Tuesday afternoon
Kevin McCarthy secured the position just months ago after a grueling 15 rounds of voting.
However, this swift turn of events underscores the internal divisions within the Republican party.
The motion to vacate was triggered on Monday by Gaetz, who is known for his alignment with former President Donald Trump. Behind closed doors early on Tuesday, McCarthy addressed his fellow Republicans, acknowledging the challenges he faced.
He stated: “If I counted how many times someone wanted to knock me out, I would have been gone a long time ago.” Despite these challenges, McCarthy received standing ovations during the meeting from several Republicans who voiced their support for him.
The removal of McCarthy comes in the wake of a controversial decision he made over the weekend. He chose to cooperate with Democrats to keep the government running, opting to avoid the risk of a government shutdown.
This move garnered backlash from Gaetz and other far-right Republicans, who were angered that McCarthy relied on Democratic votes to pass a temporary funding extension.
A group of approximately 20 Republicans had repeatedly blocked other legislation, pressuring McCarthy to take action.
Gaetz and his allies expressed frustration with the slow progress of spending bills during McCarthy’s tenure.
Republican Representative Tim Burchett, who voted to oust McCarthy, highlighted the extended August recess as a point of concern. He stated, “We took a whole month of August off. I think that that’s pretty telling.”
Congressman Patrick McHenry, a North Carolina Republican, was designated by McCarthy as the acting speaker until a new House leader is elected. Upon taking the gavel, McHenry quickly called for a recess.
“In the opinion of the chair, prior to proceeding to the election of a speaker, it will be prudent to first recess for the relative caucus and conferences to meet and discuss the path forward,” McHenry said. House Republicans are reportedly meeting this evening to discuss the next steps .
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