Kevin McCarthy Removed As US House Speaker By Republicans

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In a historic vote, Kevin McCarthy has been removed from his role as US House Speaker by hard-right members of his Republican party. 

This marks the first time in US history that a speaker of the House has been removed from office, and it comes less than a year after his election. 

The vote to oust McCarthy followed a motion to vacate the chair from the Florida Republican congressman Matt Gaetz.

After McCarthy’s Republican allies failed to block the motion from moving forward, a final vote was held on Tuesday afternoon.

Eight hard-right Republicans joined 208 Democrats in supporting McCarthy’s removal, as 210 Republicans tried and failed to keep the speaker in place.

McCarthy’s removal comes after he worked with House Democrats to pass a stopgap spending bill, known as a continuing resolution, to avoid a government shutdown over the weekend. 

This angered far-right Republicans, who had repeatedly blocked other legislation and were angered that McCarthy relied on Democratic votes to pass the temporary funding extension.

What Happens Next?

If McCarthy is ousted, someone from a secret backup list would likely take his place. However, it is unclear who that person would be, and the House Republicans would be launched into chaos as they try to find a new leader.

List: Key Features of Kevin McCarthy’s Tenure

• Worked with House Democrats to pass a stopgap spending bill, known as a continuing resolution, to avoid a government shutdown over the weekend.
• Removed from his role as US House Speaker by hard-right members of his Republican party.
• Marked the first time in US history that a speaker of the House has been removed from office, and it comes less than a year after his election.
• A bloc of hardline conservatives, led by Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, have continued to thwart McCarthy, voting against key priorities of GOP leadership and repeatedly throwing up roadblocks to the speaker’s agenda.
• McCarthy relied on Democratic votes to pass the temporary funding extension, which angered far-right Republicans.

List of Republicans Who Voted Against McCarthy

Here is the list of Republicans who voted against Kevin McCarthy in the vote to oust him as US House Speaker:

1. Andy Biggs (Arizona)
2. Ken Buck (Colorado)
3. Tim Burchett (Tennessee)
4. Eli Crane (Arizona)
5. Matt Gaetz (Florida)
6. Bob Good (Virginia)
7. Nancy Mace (South Carolina)
8. Matt Rosendale (Montana)
9. Victoria Spartz (Indiana)
10. Cory Mills (South Carolina)
11. Warren Davidson (Ohio)
12. Dan Bishop (North Carolina)
13. Lauren Boebert (Colorado)
14. Josh Brecheen (Oklahoma)
15. Michael Cloud (Texas)
16. Andrew Clyde (Georgia)

It is worth noting that some of these Republicans had previously opposed McCarthy, while others were previously supportive of him.