WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives on Tuesday ousted Republican Kevin McCarthy as speaker, the first time in history that the chamber has ousted its leader in a no-confidence vote.
McCarthy, of California, was voted in as speaker when a small band of eight hardline conservative Republicans joined all Democrats to approve a “motion to vacate” introduced by GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz, of Florida, a longtime opponent of McCarthy’s. The final vote was 216-210.
Shortly after the vote, Rep. Patrick McHenry of North Carolina, a close ally of McCarthy and chairman of the Financial Services Committee, took over as speaker pro tempore and gave room in the recess.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a Republican from California, speaks to members of the media at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, Oct. 3, 2023.
Nathan Howard | Bloomberg | Getty Images
McCarthy told colleagues Tuesday night that he would not run for speaker again, NBC News reported. In his first remarks since losing the speakership, McCarthy said he “wouldn’t change a thing,” and that he felt “lucky” to have served as speaker.
McCarthy’s ouster was effectively set in motion Saturday when he scored a surprise legislative victory, getting Democrats to join Republicans in approving a short-term funding bill that averted a shutdown. of the government.
While McCarthy pleased the White House with that move, it sparked a simmering resentment of his leadership among the far-right members of the GOP caucus.
Several of McCarthy’s supporters have said they plan to offer his name for the next round of speaker votes.
But other members of the GOP leadership have also been floated as potential replacements, including Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota and Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana. Both are popular among rank-and-file Republicans.
The last time there was a motion to vacate the floor of the House was in 1910, when former Republican Speaker Joseph Cannon survived it.
McCarthy has had a tenuous grip on the speakership since his election in January, thanks to a small group led by Gaetz who are disaffected with the Californian.
A source told NBC News on Tuesday that some of McCarthy’s allies are “begging” a number of Democratic House members to vote with them to save his speakership.
“We need Kevin McCarthy to stay as our speaker,” Emmer said at the debate. “We will remain focused on our mission of delivering common sense wins for the American people.”
Gaetz said, “The one thing that the White House, Democrats and many of us on the conservative side of the Republican caucus have in common is that McCarthy said something to all of us at one point that he really didn’t mean and never intended to live up to.” to.”
“There is nothing selfish about wanting a speaker of the House who tells the truth,” he said.
Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., leaves the US Capitol Building in Washington, DC, Sept. 29, 2023.
Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Gaetz said McCarthy no longer represents the interests of the GOP caucus after the speaker worked with Democrats to pass a stopgap funding bill to avoid a government shutdown over the weekend.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, DN.Y., said in a statement Tuesday that party members would “vote yes” on Gaetz’s motion to oust McCarthy, a promise they kept.
“It is now the responsibility of GOP members to end the House Republican Civil War,” Jeffries said.
Gaetz threatened McCarthy with a motion to leave since he worked with Democrats on a debt deal in the spring.
McCarthy told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Tuesday morning that Gaetz has “personal things in his life that he has challenges with.”
In January, as a condition of getting enough votes to become speaker, McCarthy agreed to change the rules to lower the threshold needed to carry a motion to oust a speaker from five votes to one. only.
