The United States House of Representatives has voted 216 – 210 to remove the embattled Speaker Kevin McCarthy from his position. In a solemn tone, the presiding chair of yesterday’s proceedings on the resolution to oust the Speaker was gaveled into adoption.
The motion, which passed with votes of eight defiant Republicans joining all 208 Democrats present, had been tabled the previous day by a member of the Republican conference, Matt Gaetz of Florida.
Mr Gaetz alleged that the Speaker had broken a litany of promises he had made to him and other colleagues Republicans who were hesitant to back Mr McCarthy’s bid for the top job in the People’s House earlier in January.
When Speaker McCarthy broke with a minority faction within his conference to join Democrats in passing a 45-day stopgap bill to avert an hours away government shutdown, it was the last straw for the mistrusting bloc.
Speaking to reporters on the steps of the Capitol, Matt Gaetz hinted that he would be open to table a motion to vacate the Speakership of Mr. McCarthy, describing it as being on “tenuous grounds”.
Last Sunday, he moved the ball forward.
Appearing on CNN’s Sunday morning show State of the Union, Representative Gaetz affirmed that he would move to topple Mr. McCarthy from office.
“I intend to file a motion to vacate Speaker McCarthy this week. I think we need to rip off the band-aid. I think we need to move on with new leadership that can be trustworthy,” the Floridian Congressman revealed.
According to the currently adopted rules of the House, just one representative from the 435-member body can table a motion to vacate – a vote calling for the Speaker’s abdication. To be successful, the majority of members present must agree upon it.
Mr Gaetz tabled the motion and won despite Speaker McCarthy’s upbeat about his chances, writing on X, formerly known as Twitter, “Bring it on.”
“I kept the government open so the families of our troops and border agents could get paid. If a handful of Republicans side with Democrats to remove me for that – it’s a fight worth having,” Mr. McCarthy said.
Except it was not a fight. At the very least, it was a knockout.
Earlier in the day, Democrats had met as a caucus and decided not to bail McCarthy with their votes – they would liaise with the rebellious Republicans to make the Speaker the shortest serving official in the position since 1876.
“We encourage our Republican colleagues who claim to be more traditional to break from extremists. We are ready, willing and able to work together,” the Democrat Leader vaguely explained after their caucus meeting.
Translation – The Republicans set fire to the House; they are responsible for dousing it, not us.
This is the first time in American history that a motion to vacate has been tabled and successfully passed. In fact, such motions, although permitted, were uncommon.
The last time this was brought to the floor for a vote was in 1910. Progressive Republicans had claimed Speaker Joseph Cannon used his powers to keep progressive legislation off the House agenda.
Unlike this, the attempt quickly failed.
It is anyone’s guess who leads the House in a setting where votes on the majority side cannot afford to be lost to the other side.
Speaker McCarthy has ruled himself out of another bid.
For now, it is back to the drawing table for both conferences of the People’s House. It took 15 ballots for the deposed Speaker to be elected when the 118th Congress met for the first time at the beginning of the year.
The fractured GOP will be enormously responsible for presenting a candidate for Speaker.
Kevin McCarthy said, “It is not how you start but how you finish.” This is the finish he least expected.
Written by: Mitchell Asare Amoamah
amoamahmitchell@gmail.com
