The US House of Representatives removed US Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) as Speaker of the House after a vote of 216 to 210. “It’s to the benefit of this country that we have a better speaker than Kevin McCarthy,” said US Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who had began the process to bring a motion to vacate on October 2.
The US government may have dodged a shutdown when Congress narrowly passed a last-minute stopgap deal to extend funding for another 45 days over the weekend, but more turmoil has descended upon Capitol Hill.
The US House of Representatives on Tuesday removed US Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) as speaker of the House. The decision came after an earlier motion to table the vote failed. The final vote was 216-210, with eight Republicans joining the Democrats to vote to remove McCarthy. This was the first time the lower chamber voted on vacating the speaker’s office in 113 years and the first time it has ever succeeded
Now that the position of Speaker of the US House of Representatives has been vacated in an unprecedented vote by the lower chamber to oust Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), the legislative branch of the United States federal government faces more uncertainty. While the continuing resolution (CR) was meant to offer more time to debate a series of spending bills that form the 2024 budget, now these will have to take a backseat. One of these issues is additional funding for Ukraine, which was notably exluded from the passed stopgap measure.
Incidentally, just a day earlier, Gaetz accused McCarthy of making a “secret side deal” with President Joe Biden on Ukraine funding to get the short-term funding bill passed. The now-ousted Speaker had denied having made any such deal in exchange for Democratic votes.
The urgent task at hand is to appoint a new leader for the House.
“It’s to the benefit of this country that we have a better speaker than Kevin McCarthy… The reason he went down today is because no one trusts him,” said US Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who called the vote against McCarthy.
US Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, Republican of California, speaks to the press on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on September 30, 2023. – Sputnik International, 1920, 03.10.2023
Who Heads the House Now?
Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.), a member of the Financial Services Committee, has been appointed Speaker pro tempore. The North Carolina former media consultant and political operative had been top of the list of members to succeed him that McCarthy had submitted upon his election as speaker in January. It is worth recalling at this point that it took 15 rounds of voting to gain the support McCarthy required to secure the post.
“In the opinion of the chair, prior to proceeding to the election of the speaker, it would be prudent to first recess for the relevant caucus and its conferences to meet and discuss the path forward. Accordingly, pursuant to clause 12A of rule one, the chair declares the House on recess, subject to the call of the chair,” McHenry had said on Tuesday, as he slammed the gavel onto the desk.
The recess is to last a week. Republicans will return to work on October 11 to hold internal elections to nominate a replacement, with an election possible the next day, lawmakers involved in the discussion were cited as saying.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby speaks during a briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, Friday, April 16, 2021. – Sputnik International, 1920, 03.10.2023
Who Could Be New Speaker?
The work of a ‘decapitated’ House of Representatives has been virtually paralyzed. So the first thing the chamber needs to come up with is viable candidates for the Speakership.
Kevin McCarthy was cited as saying he would not seek to reclaim the post.
The North Carolina congressman who is now Speaker pro tempore, and used to be chief deputy whip under Steve Scalise, appears to be content with holding the gavel as chairman of the Financial Services Committee. He went on record as saying he “absolutely does not” want the post, but floated the candidacy of Steve Scalise, the House Majority Leader, telling reporters he would make a “phenomenal speaker.”
After surviving a mass shooting at a congressional baseball practice in 2017, Scalise has suffered from a number of health issues, and revealed in August that he had been diagnosed with multiple myeloma ( blood cancer ). However, he is said to be seeking support behind the scenes to become the next House Speaker, according to sources cited in a media report. Scalise has allegedly been making calls to gain support ahead of a possible vote on Wednesday.
Some GOP members have signaled they would back his bid, with Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.) saying:
“Steve Scalise is our leader. If he wants it, then I think that it’s likely that he will be the leader — the speaker nominee.”
While Scalise’s office is yet to offer any comment, the House Majority Leader himself did not rule out the bid previously, saying, “I enjoy working with Tom (Emmer) and our leadership team, and we have a lot of work to get done. But I haven’t made any formal announcements.”
House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., the highest-ranking Republican woman in Congress
US Congressman Matt Gaetz, who advanced the effort to oust McCarthy, told reporters earlier that he had spoken with Tom Emmer, but stopped short of revealing any details of their conversation. Gaetz added that he would like to hear from Scalise regarding a potential speaker bid before nominating him. Gaetz also said that Scalise is the “type of person” he could see himself supporting.
Texas Rep. Troy Nehls stated that when the House reconvenes he would “nominate Donald J. Trump for Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.”
“President Trump, the greatest President of my lifetime, has a proven record of putting America First and will make the House great again,” he said.
Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., shared this opinion, going on X ( formerly Twitter), to post that Donald Trump would be great as Speaker.
