POLITICS
House Republicans Search For Next Speaker After McCarthy Ousted
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Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) lost his position as House Speaker on Tuesday, becoming the first speaker in U.S. history to be ousted by a motion to vacate the chair.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) on Monday evening filed the motion to vacate the chair, forcing a vote on whether to keep Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as Speaker of the House, which he lost Tuesday 216–210.
I will not seek to run again for Speaker of the House. I may have lost a vote today, but I fought for what I believe in—and I believe in America. It has been an honor to serve, McCarthy posted on X, formerly Twitter, after the vote.
McCarthy struggled to unite House Republicans behind a budget deal to avoid a government shutdown, as the more conservative flank led by Gaetz pushed for deep domestic spending cuts and objected to sending more aid to Ukraine.
On Saturday, McCarthy put forward a clean continuing resolution, or CR, to keep the government funded at current levels until Nov. 17, while negotiations continue on the full year budget. The move came after multiple failed attempts to pass spending packages that would appease conservatives, but would be dead on arrival in the Democratic-led Senate.
The CR passed the in the House with 209 Democratic votes and 125 Republican votes.
After the vote to oust McCarthy, Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.), a McCarthy ally, was named speaker pro tempore, and will serve until a new speaker can be voted into office.
In one of his first acts in the temporary position, McHenry ousted Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi from her honorary office at the Capitol, while she was away in California.
Now, Republicans must decide who they can rally behind as speaker. Some have suggested Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise, who is currently House majority leader, while some more conservative members have shown support for Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, chair of the House Judiciary Committee and one of the leaders of the impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.
Speaker hopefuls will need 218 votes to win the chair, or a majority of lawmakers present and voting. It took multiple days and 15 rounds of voting for McCarthy to be elected speaker in January, and another drawn-out battle may be possible.
TMX contributed to this article.
