(Washington Examiner) For the first time in history, the House voted to oust its speaker from his position on Tuesday when it passed a motion to vacate the chair and stripped Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) of his speakership.
Lawmakers voted 216-210 to remove McCarthy from his position after eight Republicans joined all Democrats in a historic rebuke to GOP leadership, leaving the House at a standstill until lawmakers can elect a new speaker. The vote comes after weeks of threats to McCarthy from members of his right flank, particularly Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who filed the motion on Monday evening.
The Republicans who voted to oust McCarty include Gaetz and Reps. Tim Burchett (R-TN), Ken Buck (R-CO), Eli Crane (R-AZ), Bob Good (R-VA), Matt Rosendale (R-MT), Andy Biggs (R-AZ), and Nancy Mace (R-SC).
The vote was preceded by an hour of debate between centrist Republicans and GOP leaders against Gaetz and hard-line conservatives, during which McCarthy allies criticized the defectors for using their personal “drama” to upend the House.
The House will now move forward with appointing a temporary speaker to replace McCarthy, with members set to reconvene at some point to elect a new speaker. The House cannot move forward with its business until a new speaker is chosen, putting spending bills and other legislation on hold until further notice.
The motion to vacate has only been used twice, with the last one coming in 1910. None has previously succeeded. McCarthy made concessions to rank-and-file conservatives during the speakership vote, allowing any single lawmaker (Democratic or Republican) to bring a “motion to vacate the chair.” Before the change, a member would need to get a majority of their party in support of the motion in order to move it forward.
Gaetz made the motion to vacate after accusing McCarthy of making a “back deal” with Democrats to pass a continuing resolution over the weekend to fund the government temporarily, which he says is in direct violation of the speakership agreement brokered in January.
