Speaker McCarthy removed as Speaker in sensational turn of events
McCarthy’s ouster marked the first time in history that the House removed its leader, with eight Republicans voting alongside 208 Democrats to remove McCarthy.
McCarthy’s ouster marked the first time in history that the House removed its leader, with eight Republicans voting alongside 208 Democrats to remove McCarthy.
In a dramatic turn of events, Kevin McCarthy, the Speaker of the House was ousted by a set of his own Republicans making him the first speaker to be removed in the history of US Congress. The move showed the deep rift and infighting among the Republican Party as the incident plunged the Congress into major chaos.
The 216-to-210 vote for McCarthy’s ouster marked the first time in history that the House removed its leader, with eight Republicans voting alongside 208 Democrats to remove the speaker.
“The fact that eight Republicans voted along with the majority of the Democrats shows the big schism in the Republican party, The fact he becomes the first speaker to be voted out in the annals of the House of Representatives, is a statement of the troubled times that we are in,” said Teethankar Ghosh, an international affairs expert.
“One of the biggest fallouts of McCarthy’s removal is that the House of Representatives will be without a speaker for at least a week. This has never happened in the history of independent America,” said Ghosh.
The reason why the House of Representatives will be leaderless for a week is that in the aftermath of McCarthy’s ouster, the Republicans have planned a meeting only on October 10 to discuss McCarthy’s successor.
The rebellion against McCarthy was led by representative Matt Gaetz, a far-right Republican from Florida and anti-McCarthy who finally turned on the speaker after he relied on Democratic votes to help pass a bill to avoid a partial government shutdown.
It was the latest moment of high drama in a year when the Republican-controlled House brought Washington to the brink of a catastrophic default on the debt of $31.4 trillion and a partial Government shutdown.
Republicans control the chamber by a narrow 221-212 majority, meaning they can afford to lose no more than five votes if Democrats unite in opposition.
McCarthy’s ouster as speaker brings legislative activity in the House to a halt, with another government shutdown deadline looming on Nov. 17 if Congress does not extend its funding.
The White House said it hoped the House would move swiftly to choose a new speaker, a position second in line to the Presidency after the Vice President.
On his part, McCarthy maintained, “I believe I can continue to fight, but maybe in a different manner.” he added.
Did you see the news that Biden tried to bury last night? 232,972 illegal border crossings last month—the highest of the year.
— Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) September 23, 2023
The Biden Administration is destroying our nation along the border—and Republicans should not miss this opportunity to secure our border. pic.twitter.com/A9mP4FRMRo
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