In a surprising turn of events, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a Republican, faced a significant setback as he was ousted from his position. Regardless of who takes the helm next, they will grapple with the same challenges McCarthy faced: pressure from the hardline conservative faction of the GOP and escalating bipartisan tensions. If the new Speaker follows in McCarthy's footsteps by compromising with Democrats, they too might face a similar fate.
Last Saturday, the House passed a temporary spending bill with a vote of 335 in favor and 91 against. This was good news for federal employees and the general American public as it prevented another government shutdown. However, for Speaker McCarthy, this vote marked the beginning of the end of his tenure.
The Republicans hold the majority in the House with 221 seats, while the Democrats have 212. In the recent vote, McCarthy's temporary spending bill garnered support from 211 Democrats, with a staggering 90 Republicans opposing it. Only with the backing of the Democratic votes was McCarthy able to get the bill approved.
Democrats unusually supported McCarthy's proposal because it didn't demand significant spending cuts from the Biden administration. Instead, it maintained government spending at its current level for 45 days.
However, the GOP's demand was for the Biden administration to cut spending and strengthen border control. The hardline conservatives within the GOP further demanded that the federal government's discretionary spending be reduced to $1.47 trillion, equivalent to the fiscal year 2022 level.
After the Senate approved the temporary spending bill and President Biden signed it into law, the conservative faction of the GOP threatened McCarthy with a motion to oust him from his position.
In response to threats from his party colleagues, McCarthy defiantly responded on platform X, challenging them to proceed.
Subsequently, far-right GOP representative from Florida, Matt Gaetz, introduced a motion in the House to remove McCarthy from his Speaker position. On October 3rd, the House passed the motion with 216 votes in favor and 210 against, ending McCarthy's nine-month tenure as Speaker.
During this vote, Democrats did not extend their support to McCarthy, who had compromised with them on the spending bill. Instead, they unanimously voted in favor of his removal. Their discontent with McCarthy stemmed from his initiation of an impeachment investigation against Biden. They also saw this as an opportunity to exacerbate infighting within the GOP.
In the GOP-controlled House, even with unanimous Democratic support, the motion to oust McCarthy would not have passed without backing from some Republicans.
Eight far-right Republicans joined the Democrats in voting in favor of the motion, making McCarthy the first Speaker in U.S. history to be removed through a vote.
The Speaker of the House is the third-highest-ranking official in the U.S. In the presidential line of succession, the Speaker follows the Vice President, who also serves as the President of the Senate.
GOP Infighting and Trump's Observations
Following McCarthy's ousting, the House, without a Speaker, cannot debate or vote on any bills. Currently, McCarthy's ally and Chair of the House Financial Services Committee, Patrick McHenry, is serving as the interim Speaker until a new one is elected.
Later on Tuesday, McHenry announced a recess in the House to allow both parties to discuss the "path forward."
McCarthy, who was ousted by his own party members in collaboration with the Democrats, responded modestly, expressing gratitude for having served as Speaker and stating he had fought for his beliefs.
McCarthy's journey to becoming Speaker was fraught with challenges. In January, due to opposition from the far-right "Freedom Caucus" within the GOP, it took a record-breaking five days and 15 rounds of voting for McCarthy to secure the position.
The "Freedom Caucus," which does not disclose its membership, had over 20 members opposing McCarthy's Speakership at the time, accusing him of being too willing to compromise with Democrats. Pew Research Center estimates that 49 House Republicans are members or allies of the "Freedom Caucus."
To secure his position as Speaker, McCarthy made significant concessions to the "Freedom Caucus," one of which was reinstating a rule from the tenure of Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi. This rule allowed any member to call for a vote of no confidence in the Speaker, determining whether they should be removed.
Gaetz, who led the opposition against McCarthy's Speakership and introduced the motion to oust him, had previously threatened to remove McCarthy during a debt ceiling crisis earlier in the year. On Tuesday, when introducing the motion, Gaetz accused McCarthy of betraying an agreement with the "Freedom Caucus" by collaborating with Democrats on the spending bill.
McCarthy retorted, accusing Gaetz of acting out of personal interest. The House Ethics Committee is currently investigating Gaetz for misconduct, misuse of campaign funds, and drug use. McCarthy has consistently refused to intervene in the investigation or assist Gaetz.
McCarthy also accused Gaetz of trying to attract voter attention, hinting at Gaetz's aspirations for the Florida gubernatorial race. He even claimed that Gaetz had improperly sent fundraising emails to congressional colleagues.
Due to his dissatisfaction with Gaetz, during Tuesday's congressional debate, Republicans moved Gaetz to the Democratic side, forcing him to speak from the Democratic seats. Some Republicans are even considering expelling Gaetz from the House.
Expelling an elected member of Congress has strict guidelines. A member can only be expelled from the House if two-thirds of its members vote in favor.
Former President Donald Trump weighed in on the GOP infighting on his social media platform, criticizing the internal disputes: "Why is the GOP always fighting internally instead of against the radical left Democrats who are destroying our country?"
Trump himself has been a significant instigator of the GOP's internal conflicts.
On the spending bill issue, Trump urged Republicans not to compromise and to let the federal government shut down. Gaetz even hinted that his motion to oust McCarthy had Trump's backing, though this claim was not confirmed by Trump.
Escalating Bipartisan Tensions and Uncertainty Over Aid to Ukraine
McCarthy's removal has not only escalated infighting within the GOP but has also exposed the fragility of the bipartisan "Problem Solvers Caucus" in the House.
Members of the "Problem Solvers Caucus" are moderate Republicans and Democrats aiming to find solutions to issues where there's significant bipartisan disagreement. During the deadlock over the new fiscal year's spending bill, the caucus proposed a bipartisan solution.
However, during the vote to oust McCarthy, all Democratic members of the "Problem Solvers Caucus" voted in favor, angering their Republican counterparts in the caucus. They accused the Democrats of betraying the caucus's founding principles.
Republican Representative Nick LaLota announced that he, along with 5 to 10 other Republicans, is considering leaving the "Problem Solvers Caucus."
Amid escalating bipartisan tensions and the Speaker's ousting, U.S. aid to Ukraine remains uncertain, as the temporary spending bill passed last weekend did not include U.S. assistance to Ukraine.
In July, Biden requested Congress approve a new $24 billion aid package to Ukraine. However, nearly half of the House Republicans oppose continued funding to Ukraine. Over the weekend, Biden hinted in an interview that he had reached an agreement with McCarthy on aid to Ukraine. With McCarthy's removal, the future of this agreement is now in question.
McCarthy has indicated he will not seek the Speakership again. Potential successors include House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, Trump ally and Chair of the House Judiciary Committee Jim Jordan, House GOP Whip Tom Emmer, and conservative representative Chip Roy from Texas, who opposed McCarthy.
Regardless of who becomes the next Speaker, they will face the same challenges as McCarthy: pressure from the hardline conservative faction of the GOP and escalating bipartisan tensions. If the new Speaker chooses to compromise with Democrats, they too might face a similar fate.
House Republicans plan to discuss the new Speaker's candidacy on October 10th and vote on October 11th.
