Removal of Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House
Date | October 3, 2023 |
---|---|
Cause | Opposition to McCarthy's decision to pass a federal budget continuing resolution by relying on Democratic support |
Motive | Motion to vacate the chair introduced by Rep. Matt Gaetz |
Outcome |
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Voting summary |
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The United States House of Representatives voted to remove its speaker, Kevin McCarthy of California, on October 3, 2023, through a motion to vacate filed by Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida, a member of McCarthy's Republican Party. McCarthy's removal marked the first time in American history that a speaker of the House was removed through a motion to vacate. The vacancy started a process to elect a speaker that began following an eight-day recess.
In the 118th Congress, the 2022 midterm elections formed a narrow majority for Republicans in the House of Representatives. The Freedom Caucus, a right-wing congressional caucus of Republican representatives, secured a minority of these seats. McCarthy faced significant opposition from the Freedom Caucus in the Republican Conference during the speakership election for the 118th Congress. After fifteen rounds of voting, McCarthy was elected speaker, conceding to his opponents by allowing any representative to file a motion to vacate. The potential of a government shutdown began to take hold in July 2023, with the Freedom Caucus—in demonstrations of austerity and defiance toward McCarthy—opposing spending bills to fund the government.
By September, the federal government appeared poised to shut down; the Freedom Caucus furthered its warnings to McCarthy by threatening to file a motion to vacate if he also turned to Democratic support. McCarthy nevertheless led the House of Representatives in passing a continuing resolution on September 30, with the passage being reliant on majority Republican and Democratic support. On October 2, Gaetz, a member of the Freedom Caucus, filed a motion to vacate, citing the continuing resolution. Following an unsuccessful motion to table by Republican Representative Tom Cole, Republican representatives debated McCarthy's speakership on the House floor. When the time for debate expired, the House voted to remove McCarthy, with insurgent Republicans and the minority Democrats voting against him. The speakership seat was immediately vacated and Patrick McHenry—a McCarthy ally—was made speaker pro tempore.
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 single representative can initiate a motion to vacate.[1] The provision has only been used twice in the House of Representatives. In 1910, an unsuccessful motion was filed by Joseph G. Cannon against himself after a revolt.[2][3] In 2015, Representative Mark Meadows proposed 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 until a new speaker was named. 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 said he has "zero interest in palace intrigue", according to The Washington Post.[6] Majority leader Steve Scalise had been proposed as a potential speaker,[5] but he withdrew from the race on October 12, 2023 after initially winning the Republican nomination the day before. Jim Jordan was the Republican nominee but was dropped by the House GOP conference after failing to win a vote on the House floor three times.[7]
Background
McCarthy's speakership
The 2022 midterm elections resulted in a narrow, 2-seat Senate majority for the Democratic Party and a narrow, 4-seat House of Representatives majority for the Republican Party. In the 118th Congress, the Freedom Caucus, a far-right congressional caucus, secured 45 House of Representatives seats. 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 Gaetz, balked and blocked a bill protecting gas stoves against federal regulations.[8] The mutiny left McCarthy with a political quagmire to either acquiesce to the insurgents, passing legislation that would face resistance in the Senate, or to negotiate with Democrats, contending with a potential ousting.[9]
Passage of a continuing resolution on the federal budget
By September, the federal government appeared poised to shut down after representatives could not vote on a series of appropriations bills.[10] The Freedom Caucus threatened to depose McCarthy if he turned to Democrats to gather more votes.[11] On September 29, Politico reported that Gaetz had reached out to Congressional Progressive Caucus chair Pramila Jayapal, among other Democrats, about removing McCarthy.[12] 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 Biden, averting a shutdown.[13] McCarthy had relied on Democratic votes to pass the continuing resolution due to opposition from some House Republicans. The resolution passed the House 335–91, with all but one of the votes cast against it coming from Republicans.[14] Gaetz, who has led intra-party opposition to McCarthy,[15] announced in an interview with CNN that he would move to remove McCarthy for working with Democrats.[16]
Motion to vacate
On October 2, Gaetz filed a motion to vacate, forcing a vote on McCarthy's removal within two legislative days.[17]
Politico's Ryan Lizza postulated that, if McCarthy had retained his position, Gaetz might have simply proposed additional motions to vacate, as there is no limit on the number of times a member can do so.[18]
House Democratic Caucus consensus
Many Democrats would cite an inability for them to trust McCarthy as motivating House Democrats to vote as a unified bloc in support of the motion of vacate. There was also little on McCarthy's agenda that appealed to Democrats on a legislative level. Despite relying on Democratic votes to pass the continuing resolution, after its passage, McCarthy had attacked Democrats on Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan by accusing them of having attempted to obstruct its passage. These comments, amongst others, were seen as one of several instances in which he had established ill will and distrust among House Democrats during his speakership. [19][20] McCarthy publicly ruled out a deal involving support from Democrats in exchange for concessions.[21]
On October 3, prior to the vote, Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries asked Democrats to vote to remove McCarthy.[22] The conclusion was that the pending motion to vacate highlighted the dysfunction in the Republican Party, which Democrats argued made Republicans unsuitable to govern. Representative Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut said, "They [Republicans] need to work this out.... This is not for us to get involved."[19]
Voting and debate
The motion to vacate was considered by the House on October 3.[21] Tom Cole, chairman of the Republican-led House Rules Committee, unsuccessfully moved to remove the motion from consideration, through a motion to table. Following one hour of debate evenly divided between Gaetz and Cole, the motion passed by a vote of 216–210; this was the first time in congressional history the House voted to remove its incumbent speaker.[23]
Results
Vote to table
Party | Yes | No | Not voting | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | 208 | 11 | 2 | |
Democratic | — | 207 | 5 | |
Percentage | 48.8% | 51.1% | — | |
Total votes | 208 | 218 | 7 |
The vote to table the resolution was primarily split along party lines; all Democrats present voted against tabling the motion and a majority of Republicans voted to table the motion. Republicans Biggs, Ken Buck, Tim Burchett, Eli Crane, Warren Davidson, Gaetz, Bob Good, Nancy Mace, Cory Mills, Matt Rosendale, and Victoria Spartz voted no.[24]
Vote to vacate
Party | Yes | No | Not voting | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | 8 | 210 | 3 | |
Democratic | 208 | — | 4 | |
Percentage | 50.7% | 49.3% | — | |
Total votes | 216 | 210 | 7 |
The vote to vacate was mostly split along party lines; all Democrats present voted yes and a majority of Republicans voted no. Republican representatives Biggs, Buck, Burchett, Crane, Gaetz, Good, Mace, and Rosendale voted yes.[24] Biggs, Crane, Gaetz, Good and Rosendale were five of the six "present" votes in the deciding speakership election.
Burchett said his yes vote was "sealed" after McCarthy allegedly said a "condescending" remark about his religious beliefs during a phone call. McCarthy said that he did not intend to upset Burchett.[25]
Mace, who is a member of moderate caucuses such as the Republican Governance Group and Problem Solvers Caucus, defended her vote by citing unfulfilled promises McCarthy made regarding the future strategy of the Republican Conference towards gun violence and abortion.[26] Buck cited similar broken promises regarding the budget. [27]
Jeffries and congressional Democrats said their yes votes were ultimately sealed by a video of "an appearance Mr. McCarthy made on television on Sunday—the morning after Democrats helped him push through legislation to avert a government shutdown — in which he blamed them for trying to prompt a shutdown."[19]
Votes cast by members
All House members of the 118th Congress that voted against party lines or were absent for one or both votes, are noted here.
Member | Party | District | Vote to table | Vote to vacate |
---|---|---|---|---|
Andy Biggs | Republican | AZ 5 | Against | Vacate |
Ken Buck | Republican | CO 4 | Against | Vacate |
Tim Burchett | Republican | TN 2 | Against | Vacate |
Cori Bush | Democratic | MO 1 | absent[a] | |
John Carter | Republican | TX 31 | absent[b] | |
Eli Crane | Republican | AZ 2 | Against | Vacate |
Warren Davidson | Republican | OH 8 | Against | Against |
Matt Gaetz | Republican | FL 1 | Against | Vacate |
Bob Good | Republican | VA 5 | Against | Vacate |
Lance Gooden | Republican | TX 5 | Table | absent |
Anna Paulina Luna | Republican | FL 13 | absent[c] | |
Nancy Mace | Republican | SC 1 | Against | Vacate |
Cory Mills | Republican | FL 7 | Against | Against |
Nancy Pelosi | Democratic | CA 11 | absent[d] | |
Mary Peltola | Democratic | AK at-large | absent[e] | |
Matt Rosendale | Republican | MT 2 | Against | Vacate |
Victoria Spartz | Republican | IN 5 | Against | Against |
Emilia Sykes | Democratic | OH 13 | absent[f] | |
Frederica Wilson | Democratic | FL 24 | absent[g] | Vacate |
Aftermath
North Carolina Representative McHenry, a described close ally of McCarthy, was appointed as his temporary replacement as speaker pro tempore of the House.[35] The House's legislative activities were temporarily halted as speaker pro tempore McHenry began an eight-day recess.[36]
Following his removal, McCarthy announced that he would not seek reelection as Speaker, leaving an open race to fill the office. This left the House Republicans in a state of uncertainty, as there is no apparent successor to lead the House Republican majority. The Republican Conference reconvened on October 10 to nominate their first candidate for Speaker, Steve Scalise, who would withdraw before a floor vote.[37] Gaetz said he does not intend to run for speakership.
Former speaker and representative from California Nancy Pelosi was asked to move from her secondary office space in the Capitol by McHenry, who assumed full authority over office space assignments as speaker pro tempore. Maryland Representative Steny Hoyer, former house majority leader, also received a notice from Republican leadership to move out of his Capitol office space.[38] Several outlets reported that McCarthy was behind the move, over Democrats' refusal to support him during the vote.[39] McCarthy has remained in use of the speaker's office during the vacancy of the speakership position.[40][41][42]
Effect on U.S. response to world events
Less than a week after McCarthy's ouster, Israel — one of the United States' closest allies — was attacked by the militant group Hamas. McCarthy's ouster and the subsequent leadership debacle have been cited as the main reasons behind a lack of aid to support Israel.[43] Some McCarthy supporters attempted to use the crisis to reinstall McCarthy as speaker, but these efforts failed.[44]
Responses and analysis
McCarthy's response
McCarthy declared, "I fought for what I believe in. I believe I can continue to fight, but maybe in a different manner."[45]
Republican response
Former vice president Mike Pence said, "Chaos is never America's strength, and it's never a friend of American families that are struggling." Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich said that Gaetz was "actively destructive to the conservative movement."[46] Gingrich also said that House Republicans should expel Gaetz.[47]
Some Republicans blamed Democrats for not supporting McCarthy. Republican members of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus threatened to quit the caucus after Democrats voted.[48] The National Republican Congressional Committee called Democrats the "Chaos Caucus,"[49] a term originally coined to describe far-right Republicans.[50]
In a press conference following his removal, McCarthy blamed Democrats. He argued that Democrats should have voted against the motion to vacate to protect the institution.[51] McCarthy also said that Pelosi had promised him that Democrats would support McCarthy during a motion to vacate.[31]
Adolfo Franco, a lawyer and Republican Party strategist, speaking from Florida, told Al Jazeera that it was a "five-seat majority in a divided government" that removed McCarthy.[52] "The reality is we have a democratic President, and a democratic Senate. We don’t have absolute majorities. Mr. Gaetz is living in a fantasy world. So I feel terrible for a man who has accomplished so much for our country to be ousted," Franco said.[52]
Forty-five Republican representatives wrote an open letter objecting to the McCarthy ejection from his position as speaker.[53][54] The letter said the representatives were "ashamed and embarrassed by what happened", and praising McCarthy's performance as "one of the most accomplished Republican leaders in modern history".[55]
Democratic response
On October 4, Jeffries released a statement wishing McCarthy well and saying that he and McCarthy "had a respectful, communicative, and forward-looking relationship."[56]
Media analysis
The Washington Post political contributor Dan Balz speculated that the ousting of McCarthy could hurt Republicans during the 2024 elections.[57]
Political observers have noted a historical parallel between the turmoil engulfing the House Republican Conference surrounding McCarthy's removal and the events following the resignation of Newt Gingrich precipitated by an internal caucus rebellion in the wake of the 1998 elections. The lead-up to the 106th United States Congress was marked by significant events, including the 1998 bombing of Iraq and the impeachment of Bill Clinton; during this turbulent period, Bob Livingston was briefly the presumptive speaker before he, too, resigned, with then-little-known Dennis Hastert ultimately becoming speaker on January 6, 1999.[58]
See also
- October 2015 Speaker of the United States House of Representatives election
- Yaroslav Hunka scandal, which caused Canadian Speaker of the House Anthony Rota to resign within the same week
Notes
- ^ Missed due to medical procedure.[28]
- ^ Missed for health reasons.[29]
- ^ Missed on maternity leave.[30]
- ^ Missed due to attending the funeral of California Senator Dianne Feinstein.[31]
- ^ Missed due to attending the funeral of her husband Buzzy Peltola.[32]
- ^ Missed due to personal family matters.[33]
- ^ Missed en route back to the Capitol.[34]
References
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- ^ https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/20/politics/jim-jordan-speaker-fight-vote/index.html
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- ^ a b Hutton, Christopher (October 7, 2023). "Pelosi denies McCarthy claims she promised to back him in vote to kick him from office". Washington Examiner. Archived from the original on October 7, 2023. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
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- ^ Meyer, Theodoric (October 3, 2023). "Rep. Emilia Strong Sykes (D-Ohio) wasn't present for Tuesday's votes". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on October 3, 2023. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
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- ^ Forrest, Jack (October 4, 2023). "Who is Patrick McHenry, the interim House speaker?". CNN. Archived from the original on October 4, 2023. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
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- ^ Talbot, Haley (October 4, 2023). "Pelosi says interim House speaker McHenry has ordered her to vacate her office in the Capitol building". CNN. the itol-mchenry-interim-speaker/index.html Archived from the original on October 4, 2023. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
{{cite web}}
: Check|archive-url=
value (help) - ^ Grayer, Annie (October 4, 2023). "McCarthy behind move to kick Pelosi out of her office, sources say – sohttps://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/force-me-out-mccarthy-wont-leave-speakers-office-despite-being-ousted-over-2-weeks-ago/ar-AA1iyKGA he can move into it". CNN. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
{{cite web}}
: External link in
(help)|title=
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- ^ Gould, Joe; O'Brien, Connor; McCleary, Paul; Perano, Ursula; Tully-McManus, Katherine (October 7, 2023). "Lawmakers want to help Israel, but political chaos means it won't be fast". Politico. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
- ^ Hill, Meredith Lee; Tully-McManus, Katherine (October 7, 2023). "Centrist GOP effort to reinstate McCarthy picks up steam after Israel attacks". Politico. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
- ^ Warburton, Moira; Cowan, Richard; Morgan, David (October 4, 2023). "Kevin McCarthy ousted as House Speaker in historic vote". Reuters. Archived from the original on October 5, 2023. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
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- ^ Benen, Steve (October 4, 2023). "The problem(s) with blaming Democrats for McCarthy's downfall". MSNBC. Archived from the original on October 5, 2023. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ a b "Kevin McCarthy removed as US House speaker in unprecedented vote". Al Jazeera. October 3, 2023. Archived from the original on October 6, 2023. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
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- ^ "Dear Republican Colleagues Letter". Punchbowl News. October 5, 2023. Archived from the original on October 12, 2023. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
- ^ Poonia, Gitanjali (October 6, 2023). "Rep. Blake Moore, 44 GOP lawmakers sign letter saying they are 'ashamed and embarrassed' over McCarthy ousting". Deseret News. Archived from the original on October 11, 2023. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
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