Removal of Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House

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Removal of Kevin McCarthy
DateOctober 3, 2023 (2023-10-03)
TypeRemoval of the Speaker of the House of Representatives
CauseMotion to vacate by U.S. Representative Matt Gaetz
Verdict216 voting yea
210 voting nay
Result: McCarthy removed

On October 3, 2023, the United States House of Representatives removed Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the House through a motion to vacate.

In September 2023, McCarthy passed a resolution to avert a government shutdown with support from the opposition Democratic Party, abandoning Freedom Caucus members who opposed any funding resolution that was supported by Democrats.

The motion to vacate is the first time a speaker of the House has been removed during a legislative term. The removal triggered an election to choose the next speaker.

Process and replacement

Removing the speaker of the House necessitates the use of a motion to vacate. As part of negotiations for McCarthy's speakership, any singular member of Congress can initiate a motion to vacate.[1] The provision has only been used twice in the House of Representatives. In 1910, a motion was filed against Joseph G. Cannon after a revolt, but failed.[2][3] In 2015, Representative Mark Meadows used a motion to vacate against then-speaker John Boehner, but a vote was not officially called before Boehner resigned. A representative must file the resolution and request a vote; as a privileged resolution, the vote must occur within two legislative days. A vote may be blocked if the resolution is tabled or sent to committee. If passed, an internal list penned by McCarthy would appoint a speaker pro tempore. An election would then begin.[4] According to individuals who spoke to The Washington Post, several members of the Freedom Caucus—including representative Andy Biggs[5]—intend to coalesce around representative Tom Emmer for his conservative values following McCarthy's removal; Emmer stated that he has "zero interest in palace intrigue" to The Washington Post.[6] Majority leader Steve Scalise has been proposed as a potential speaker.[5]

History

Background

Main article: 118th United States Congress
Further information: 2022 United States elections

The 2022 midterm elections resulted in a narrow Senate majority for the Democratic Party and a narrow House of Representatives majority for the Republican Party. In the 118th Congress, the Freedom Caucus, a far-right congressional caucus, secured a number of House of Representatives seats. Kevin McCarthy, leader of the House Republican Conference, was elected speaker of the House after several days of voting as opposition—primarily led by members of the Freedom Caucus—mounted against him; McCarthy conceded to his opponents to negotiate their support for his speakership. In May 2023, McCarthy negotiated with president Joe Biden on a deal to resolve a debt-ceiling crisis and an imminent debt default. In response Republicans, led by Matt Gaetz, balked and blocked a bill protecting gas stoves against federal regulations.[7] The mutiny left McCarthy with a political quagmire to acquiesce to the insurgents, passing legislation that will face resistance in the Senate, or chaffer with Democrats, contending with a potential ousting.[8]

Representative Matt Gaetz has led resistance to McCarthy, and successfully filed a motion to recall him.

By September, the federal government appeared poised to shut down after representatives could not vote on a series of appropriations bills.[9] The Freedom Caucus threatened to depose McCarthy if he turned to Democrats to gather more votes.[10] On September 29, Politico reported that representative Matt Gaetz had reached out to Congressional Progressive Caucus chair Pramila Jayapal, among other Democrats about removing McCarthy.[11] The following day, hours before a shutdown was expected to occur, the House of Representatives passed a bipartisan continuing resolution to fund the government through November 17. The resolution was passed in the Senate and signed by president Joe Biden, averting a shutdown.[12] Representative Matt Gaetz, who has led resistance to McCarthy,[13] announced in an interview with CNN that he would move to remove McCarthy for working with Democrats.[14]

Gaetz' motion to vacate

On October 2, Gaetz filed a motion to vacate, forcing a vote on McCarthy's removal within two legislative days.[15] Voting began the following day; McCarthy ruled out a deal with Democrats. Representative Tom Cole unsuccessfully moved to table the motion. The House proceeded with a successful vote to vacate on a 216–210 vote, the first time in congressional history that the chair was vacated.[16]

Results

Vote to table

Vote to table
Party Yes No Not voting %
Republican 208 11 2 50.3%
Democratic — 207 5 47.5%
Total votes 208 Red XN 218 7 97.8%

The vote to table was split along party lines; Republicans Andy Biggs, Ken Buck, Tim Burchett, Warren Davidson, Eli Crane, Matt Gaetz, Bob Good, Nancy Mace, Cory Mills, Matt Rosendale, and Victoria Spartz defected to vote no.

Vote to vacate

Vote to vacate
Party No Yes Not voting %
Republican 210 8 3 50.1%
Democratic — 208 4 47.8%
Total votes 210 Red XN 216 7 97.8%

The vote to table was split along party lines; Biggs, Buck, Burchett, Crane, Gaetz, Good, Mace, and Rosendale defected to vote no.

Responses and analysis

Republican response

Representative Mike Lawler described Gaetz's efforts as a "diatribe of delusional thinking".[17]

Democratic response

Prior to Gaetz's motion, Minority leader Hakeem Jeffries stated that Democratic leaders had not begun considering a potential motion to vacate. Ahead of the vote, a senior Democratic aide who spoke to NPR said that Democrats would not support McCarthy in a speakership election for his actions after the January 6 Capitol attack, his initiation of an impeachment inquiry against Biden, and his fealty to the far-right.[4] Representative Dean Phillips and other Democrats considered supporting McCarthy but reversed course after the impeachment inquiry.[17] Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez affirmed that she would vote to remove McCarthy on the political talk show State of the Union.[14]

Media analysis

Prior to the vote, Politico's Ryan Lizza postulated that, should a motion to vacate fail, Gaetz may endlessly repeat a vote.[18] The Washington Post staff writer Adam Blake stated that Democrats were unwilling to save McCarthy.[19]

See also

Notes

^A An additional two seats in the House (Utah and Rhode Island) were vacant at the time of the votes.

References

  1. ^ Cochrane, Emily (January 7, 2023). "Why McCarthy's Slog to Speaker Could Mean Dysfunction Ahead in the House". The New York Times. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  2. ^ Elving, Ron (September 22, 2023). "House GOP rebels recall a distant era when dissidents rose up against 'Czar Cannon'". NPR. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  3. ^ Brockell, Gillian (October 3, 2023). "The last vote to remove a House speaker backfired on the GOP". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Davis, Susan (September 30, 2023). "How the far right could remove McCarthy and why his fate could be in Democrats' hands". NPR. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  5. ^ a b Beavers, Olivia; Carney, Jordain (September 28, 2023). "Conservatives pitch McCarthy alternatives as ouster talk heats up". Politico. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  6. ^ Caldwell, Leigh Ann; Sotomayor, Marianna (September 28, 2023). "Hard-liners plot to replace McCarthy with a deputy as shutdown looms". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  7. ^ Karni, Annie (June 7, 2023). "House Is Paralyzed as Far-Right Rebels Continue Mutiny Against McCarthy". The New York Times. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  8. ^ Hulse, Carl (June 8, 2023). "Kevin McCarthy Facing Tough Choices After House Mutiny". The New York Times. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  9. ^ Hulse, Carl (September 10, 2023). "Congress Embarks on Spending Battle as Shutdown Looms at End of September". The New York Times. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  10. ^ Hulse, Carl (September 11, 2023). "McCarthy Is Under the Gun as the House Returns for a Spending Fight". The New York Times. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  11. ^ Beavers, Olivia; Ferris, Sarah; Diaz, Daniella; Wu, Nicholas (September 29, 2023). "Matt Gaetz is reaching out to Dems about a McCarthy ouster". Politico. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  12. ^ Hulse, Carl; Edmondson, Catie (September 30, 2023). "Senate Voting to Keep Government Running Through Mid-November". The New York Times. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  13. ^ Karni, Annie (September 22, 2023). "With House Hurtling Toward a Shutdown, Gaetz Is Leading the Resistance". The New York Times. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  14. ^ a b Demirjian, Karoun (October 1, 2023). "Gaetz Says He Will Move to Oust McCarthy for Working With Democrats". The New York Times. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  15. ^ Edmondson, Catie (October 2, 2023). "Gaetz Moves to Oust McCarthy, Threatening His Grip on the Speakership". The New York Times. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  16. ^ Edmondson, Catie; Broadwater, Luke (October 3, 2023). "House to Decide McCarthy's Future as Speaker". The New York Times. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
  17. ^ a b House, Billy (October 1, 2023). "McCarthy to Face Far-Right Attempt to Oust Him as House Speaker". Bloomberg News. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  18. ^ Lizza, Ryan (October 1, 2023). "Gaming out Matt Gaetz's bid to oust Kevin McCarthy". Politico. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  19. ^ Blake, Adam (October 2, 2023). "Democrats can't really save Kevin McCarthy". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
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