WASHINGTON – The House of Representatives on Tuesday expelled Republican Kevin McCarthy as speaker. This is the first time in history that the House has ousted a party leader through a vote of no confidence.
California’s Mr. McCarthy is being called upon by a small group of eight hardline conservative Republicans to approve a motion to resign filed by his longtime enemy, Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz. He joined all Democratic members and was voted out of the chair. The final vote was 216-210.
Immediately after the vote ended, Rep. Patrick McHenry of North Carolina, Mr. McCarthy’s ally and chairman of the Financial Services Committee, took over as speaker pro tempore and forced the chamber to adjourn.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) speaks to members of the media at the U.S. Capitol on October 3, 2023, in Washington, DC.
Nathan Howard | Bloomberg | Getty Images
NBC News reported that McCarthy told colleagues Tuesday night that he had no intention of running for speaker again. In his first remarks since losing the chairmanship, Mr McCarthy said he “wouldn’t change anything” and said he felt “lucky” to serve as chairman. said.
Mr. McCarthy’s ouster was effectively set into motion on Saturday when Mr. McCarthy won a surprise victory in Congress, with Democrats joining Republicans in approving a short-term funding bill that would avert a government shutdown.
Mr. McCarthy’s move pleased the White House but fueled already simmering resentment toward his leadership among far-right members of the Republican caucus.
Several of Mr. McCarthy’s supporters said they plan to put his name on the next speaker’s vote.
But other members of the Republican leadership have also been floated as possible replacements, including Majority Leader Tom Emmer of Minnesota and Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana. Both men are popular among rank-and-file Republicans.
The last time a motion to cancel a vote was made in the House was in 1910, when then-Republican Speaker Joseph Cannon survived.
Mr. McCarthy’s control over the chairmanship has been shaky since his election in January, due to a small faction led by Mr. Gates who is dissatisfied with him.
A source told NBC News on Tuesday that some of Mr. McCarthy’s allies are “begging” many Democratic House members to vote with them to protect Mr. McCarthy’s speakership. .
“We need Kevin McCarthy to remain chairman,” Emmer said during the debate. “We remain focused on our mission of delivering common sense victories for the American people.”
“What many conservatives in the White House, the Democratic Party, and the Republican caucus have in common is that Mr. McCarthy told all of us at some point that he didn’t mean it and didn’t mean it,” Gaetz said. “I said something like that,” he said. Please live until ”
“It’s not selfish to want a Speaker of the House who tells the truth,” he said.
Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) departs from the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, on September 29, 2023.
Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Gaetz said McCarthy no longer represents the interests of the Republican caucus after he worked with Democrats to pass a stopgap funding bill to avert a government shutdown over the weekend. Ta.
![Speaker McCarthy: Matt Gaetz 'has personal challenges in his life'](https://image.cnbcfm.com/api/v1/image/107310590-16963384481696338444-31442390005-1080pnbcnews.jpg?v=1696338765&w=750&h=422&vtcrop=y)
Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D.N.Y.) said in a statement early Tuesday that his party members would “vote yes” on Gaetz’s motion to expel McCarthy, making good on their promise. .
“It’s now up to Republicans to end the House Republican civil war,” Jeffries said.
Mr. Gaetz had threatened Mr. McCarthy with a motion to resign since working with Democrats on a deal to raise the debt ceiling in the spring.
McCarthy told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” Tuesday morning that Gaetz “has some personal challenges in his life.”
In January, Mr. McCarthy agreed to a rule change that lowered the threshold needed to move a motion to remove the speaker from five votes to one, as a condition of securing enough votes to become speaker.