{"id":31349,"date":"2023-10-03T17:51:57","date_gmt":"2023-10-03T23:51:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/mccarthy-becomes-the-first-speaker-to-be-ousted-from-the-job-in-a-house-vote\/"},"modified":"2023-10-03T23:51:57","modified_gmt":"2023-10-03T23:51:57","slug":"mccarthy-becomes-the-first-speaker-to-be-ousted-from-the-job-in-a-house-vote","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/mccarthy-becomes-the-first-speaker-to-be-ousted-from-the-job-in-a-house-vote\/","title":{"rendered":"McCarthy becomes the first speaker to be ousted from the job in a House vote"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Rep.
Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., leaves the House floor after being ousted as Speaker of the House at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023. (AP Photo\/J. Scott Applewhite)<\/span>J. Scott Applewhite<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

WASHINGTON \u2013 Speaker Kevin McCarthy was voted out of the job Tuesday in an extraordinary showdown \u2013 a first in U.S. history, forced by a contingent of hard-right conservatives and throwing the House and its Republican leadership into chaos.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s nearing the end of the political line for McCarthy, who has said repeatedly that he never gives up, but now has almost no options remaining. Neither the right-flank Republicans who engineered his ouster nor the Democrats who piled on seem open to negotiating.<\/p>\n

McCarthy told lawmakers Tuesday evening he would not run again for speaker, putting the gavel up for grabs. Next steps are highly uncertain as there is no obvious successor to lead the House Republican majority.<\/p>\n

McCarthy\u2019s chief rival, Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, orchestrated the rare vote on the obscure \u201cmotion to vacate,\u201d and pushed ahead swiftly into a dramatic afternoon roll call.<\/p>\n

While McCarthy enjoyed support from most Republicans in his slim majority, eight Republican detractors \u2013 many of the same hard-right holdouts who tried to stop him from becoming speaker in January \u2013 essentially forced him out.<\/p>\n

Stillness fell as the presiding officer gaveled the vote closed, 216-210, saying the office of the speaker \u201cis hereby declared vacant.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moments later, a top McCarthy ally, Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., took the gavel and, according to House rules, was named speaker pro tempore, to serve in the office until a new speaker is chosen.<\/p>\n

\"Rep.
Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., center, one of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's harshest critics, answers questions from members of the media after speaking on the House floor, at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Oct. 2, 2023. Gaetz has said he plans to use a procedural tool called a motion to vacate to try and strip McCarthy of his office as soon as this week. (AP Photo\/Jacquelyn Martin)<\/span>Jacquelyn Martin<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The House then briskly recessed as lawmakers prepared to meet privately and discuss the path forward.<\/p>\n

It was a stunning moment for McCarthy, a punishment fueled by growing grievances but sparked by his weekend decision to work with Democrats to keep the federal government open rather than risk a shutdown.<\/p>\n

But in many ways, McCarthy\u2019s ouster was set in motion when, in deal-making with hard-right holdouts at the start of the year, he agreed to a series of demands \u2013 including a rules change that allowed any single lawmaker to file the motion to vacate.<\/p>\n

As the House fell silent, Gaetz, a top ally of Donald Trump, rose to offer his motion.<\/p>\n

Leaders tried to turn it back, but the vote was 218-208, with 11 Republicans against tabling the motion, a sign of trouble to come.<\/p>\n

The House then opened a floor debate, unseen in modern times, and Republicans argued publicly among themselves for more than an hour.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a sad day,\u201d Republican Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma said as debate got underway, urging his colleagues not to plunge the House Republican majority \u201cinto chaos.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Gaetz shot back during the debate, \u201cChaos is Speaker McCarthy.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the fiery debate dragged on, many of the complaints against the speaker revolved around his truthfulness and his ability to keep the promises he has made.<\/p>\n

Almost alone, Gaetz led his side of the floor debate, criticizing the debt deal McCarthy made with President Joe Biden and the vote to prevent a government shutdown, which conservatives opposed as they demanded steeper spending cuts.<\/p>\n

But a long line of McCarthy supporters stood up for him, including Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, a leader of the conservative Freedom Caucus, who said, \u201cI think he has kept his word.\u201d Rep. Garret Graves, R-La., waved his cellphone, saying it was \u201cdisgusting\u201d that hard-right colleagues were fundraising off the move in text messages seeking donations.<\/p>\n

\"Rep.
Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., leaves the House floor after being ousted as Speaker of the House at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023. (AP Photo\/Mark Schiefelbein)<\/span>Mark Schiefelbein<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

McCarthy, of California, insisted he would not cut a deal with Democrats to remain in power \u2013 not that he could have relied on their help even if he had asked.<\/p>\n

Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a letter to colleagues that he wants to work with Republicans, but he was unwilling to provide the votes needed to save McCarthy.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is now the responsibility of the GOP members to end the House Republican Civil War,\u201d Jeffries said, announcing the Democratic leadership would vote for the motion to oust the speaker.<\/p>\n

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden \u201chopes the House will quickly elect a Speaker.\u201d Once that happens, she said, \u201che looks forward to working together with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the Capitol, both Republicans and Democrats met privately ahead of the historic afternoon vote.<\/p>\n

Behind closed doors, McCarthy told fellow Republicans: Let\u2019s get on with it.<\/p>\n

McCarthy invoked Republican Speaker Joseph Cannon, who more than 100 years ago confronted his critics head-on by calling their bluff and setting the vote himself on his ouster. Cannon survived that takedown attempt, which was the first time the House had actually voted to consider removing its speaker. A more recent threat, in 2015, didn\u2019t make it to a vote.<\/p>\n

Gaetz was in attendance, but he did not address the room.<\/p>\n

Across the way in the Capitol, Democrats lined up for a long discussion and unified around one common point: McCarthy cannot be trusted, several lawmakers in the room said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s safe to say there\u2019s not a lot of good will in that room for Kevin McCarthy,\u201d said Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the end of the day, the country needs a speaker that can be relied upon,\u201d said Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. \u201cWe don\u2019t trust him. Their members don\u2019t trust him. And you need a certain degree of trust to be the speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n

Removing the speaker launches the House Republicans into chaos. Typically, top leaders would be next in line for the job, but Majority Leader Steve Scalise is battling cancer and Majority Whip Tom Emmer, like any potential candidate, may have trouble securing the vote.<\/p>\n

It took McCarthy himself 15 rounds in January over multiple days of voting before he secured the support from his colleagues to gain the gavel, and it\u2019s uncertain now if he will try again \u2013 or call it quits.<\/p>\n

Trump, the former president who is the Republican front-runner in the 2024 race to challenge Biden, complained about the chaos. \u201cWhy is it that Republicans are always fighting among themselves,\u201d he asked on social media.<\/p>\n

Asked about McCarthy\u2019s ouster as he exited court in New York, where he is on trial for business fraud, Trump did not respond.<\/p>\n

One key McCarthy ally, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who is also close with Trump, took to social media urging support for \u201cour speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n

Republicans left the chamber in a daze, totally uncertain about next steps. \u201cI honestly don\u2019t know,\u201d said Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Ariz. \u201cThis is a total disaster.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many had lined up to hug McCarthy, some to shake his hand.<\/p>\n

Democrats, who have bristled at McCarthy\u2019s leadership \u2013 cajoling them one minute, walking away from deals the next \u2013 said they were just holding back, waiting for Republicans to figure out how to run the House.<\/p>\n

Rep, Don Bacon, R-Neb., the leader of a centrist group, said the only option was to leave the eight hard-liners behind and try to work across the aisle. \u201cWe\u2019re going to stay with Kevin,\u201d he said. \u201cHe told us earlier he\u2019ll never quit.\u201d<\/p>\n

But as House Republicans prepared for another private meeting late at the Capitol, it was not at all clear if McCarthy would be the one able or willing to try to lead them next.<\/p>\n

Associated Press writers Kevin Freking, Stephen Groves, Mary Clare Jalonick and Will Weissert contributed to this report.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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