US House of Representatives Votes to Remove Speaker Kevin McCarthy: Historic Precedent

2023-10-03 21:04:47

In a historic precedent, the US House of Representatives voted to remove its Speaker, Kevin McCarthy, from office. The position of Speaker of the House of Representatives was declared vacant, and McCarthy will continue to serve until a new speaker is elected.

Published on: 10/03/2023 – 23:04 Last updated: 10/03/2023 – 23:16

3 minutes

House of Representatives voted American In favor of removing its president, Kevin McCarthy, from his position, for the first time in the history of the United States.

The vote was 216 to 210 in favor of dismissing McCarthy. The position of Speaker of the House of Representatives was declared vacant, and McCarthy will continue to serve until a new speaker is elected.

The chances of US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy remaining in office diminished on Tuesday following Democrats announced that they would not save him in a vote launched by hard-liners within his Republican Party to oust him.

McCarthy drew the ire of his party’s hard-right wing over the weekend when he teamed up with Democrats to pass a temporary budget deal to avoid a government shutdown.

The movement was led by Congressman Matt Gaetz, who has long been an opponent of McCarthy. On Monday, he submitted a memorandum to “vacate the position of Speaker of the House of Representatives,” which led to the vote scheduled for around 14:00 (18:00 GMT).

The move forces Democrats to decide whether they should save the Speaker of the House, who spent most of his term opposing their agenda while supporting former President Donald Trump and recently opened an investigation aimed at impeaching President Joe Biden.

Ultimately, Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries encouraged Democrats to oust McCarthy, while simultaneously criticizing right-wing lawmakers whom he describes as “MAGA extremists” in reference to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement.

“Given their unwillingness to truly and comprehensively abandon MAGA extremism, House Democratic leadership will vote ‘yes’ on the existing Republican measure to vacate the speakership,” Jeffries said in a letter to his colleagues.

The latest battle in Congress comes two days following the House and Senate passed a measure to avert a costly government shutdown, with large bipartisan majorities in both chambers, by extending federal funding until mid-November.

Conservatives were angry regarding what they saw as a shift in McCarthy’s position, who pledged to put an end to the temporary legislation that was hastily prepared and agreed upon with the support of the Democratic Party, and to return the budget issue to a process handled by committees.

The Speaker of the House does not enjoy much support from both parties, and many liberal representatives have indicated that they prefer to follow the battles within the Republican ranks from afar rather than interfere in them.

McCarthy’s allies confirm that he opposes concluding deals with Democrats and will face a new wave of criticism in any case if he responds to demands of this kind.

The right-wing House Freedom Caucus has been a thorn in McCarthy’s side since he won the position in January, but many of its most prominent members announced their rejection of his dismissal.

South Carolina Representative Ralph Norman said, “I was deeply disappointed in many elements associated with McCarthy’s leadership, but this is not the time” to oust him.

France 24/AFP/Archyde.com

1696369731
#House #Representatives #Speaker #Kevin #McCarthy #impeached #historic #precedent