Kevin McCarthy may become the first Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives to be removed amid a rebellion within his own Republican Party.
In an initial vote, the House rejected the idea of “tabling” the motion to oust McCarthy, which means the proposal will be voted on the floor. The final tally was 218-208, with 11 members of the Republican party joining 216 Democrats to allow the motion to proceed.
AFP
Representative Matt Gaetz, a Florida Republican and an ally of Donald Trump, filed a motion Monday night to remove McCarthy from his post. The move came after McCarthy worked with Democrats to pass a stopgap measure that temporarily averted a government shutdown.
Gaetz and a group of far-right Republicans in the House were against any agreement to fund the government. They were calling for deeper spending cuts.
Democrats saw McCarthy as unreliable after he broke a spending agreement made with President Joe Biden earlier this year to prevent a government shutdown. His decision to allow the House to start an impeachment inquiry of the president also angered Democrats
“We’re not voting in any way that would help save Speaker McCarthy,” Democratic Representative Pramila Jayapal told reporters in Washington after her party meeting this morning. “Nobody trusts Kevin McCarthy. He has broken his commitment over and over again.”
The removal of the speaker would immediately initiate a new election for the position.
In January, it took 5 days and 15 votes on the floor for McCarthy to be confirmed speaker. A group of about 20 Republicans repeatedly voted against him until some of his demands were met.
