In an unprecedented turn of events, Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was voted out of his position in the House of Representatives this week, leaving the legislative work paused only days after a contentious deal to avert a government shutdown.
Here are Five Facts about this historic vote.
- Rep. McCarthy is the first speaker to have been voted out of power in U.S. history.
McCarthy has the dubious honor of being the first speaker to be voted out of power in U.S. history. The position of speaker, being third in line for the presidency, carries a hefty weight, making this ouster all the more significant. Traditionally, a speaker ascends to power with the solid backing of the majority party, maintaining the position until retirement or until the opposing party takes control of the House. McCarthy’s path was less secure; his election came after 15 strenuous rounds of voting, showcasing a tenuous level of support from the get-go, especially given the absence of Democratic votes in his favor.
- The ouster was driven by a faction of hard-right conservatives.
A faction of hard-right conservatives spearheaded the initiative to remove McCarthy. One, Florida Republican Matt Gaetz, had openly declared his intention to introduce a motion to “vacate the chair,” should McCarthy forge a bipartisan deal to pass a short-term spending resolution to prevent a shutdown. With the bipartisan accord, Gaetz made good on his threat.
- Controversial changes to House rules made at the start of this Congress allowed the vote.
To secure the support of far-right Republican holdouts in his bid to become Speaker, McCarthy promised to meet several of their demands, including seats on powerful committees and rule changes that would give extreme members significant influence. In particular, one amendment lowered the threshold of support for introducing a motion to vacate the chair from half of the caucus to merely one member.
- Eight Republicans joined all Democrats present to vote McCarthy out.
The final vote saw a coalition of eight Republicans joining hands with all present Democrats to vote McCarthy out, with a final vote of 216-210. This was expected after Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries issued a statement indicating he wouldn’t support McCarthy in power when the House Speaker refused to negotiate certain terms with the Democrats.
- The House is currently being led by a temporary speaker pro tempore.
Following the ouster, the House now operates under the temporary leadership of Speaker Pro Tempore Rep. Patrick McHenry of North Carolina, following the rules of the 118th Congress. Though the speaker pro tempore wields the powers of the speaker’s office until a new speaker is elected, the House is expected to remain in a state of legislative limbo until a formal election occurs.
Read Full Article »
