Removal of Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House
On October 3, 2023, the United States House of Representatives voted to remove its speaker, Kevin McCarthy of California, through a motion to vacate[a] filed by Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida, a fellow member of the Republican Party. McCarthy's removal marked the first time in American history that a speaker of the House was removed through a motion to vacate. The vacancy started a process to elect a speaker that began following an eight-day recess.
Date
October 3, 2023
- Opposition to H.R. 5860, a federal budget continuing resolution put forward by Kevin McCarthy (who relied on Democratic votes to get it passed)
- McCarthy blaming the Democratic Party on national television for attempting to obstruct passage of the bill
- General distrust in McCarthy's approach to leadership[1]
Motion to vacate the chair introduced by Rep. Matt Gaetz
- Removal of McCarthy as Speaker
- Appointment of Patrick McHenry as Speaker pro tempore
- Election of Mike Johnson as Speaker of the House on October 25
- 216 voted for
- 210 voted against
- 7 absent
In the 118th Congress, the 2022 elections formed a narrow majority for Republicans in the House of Representatives. The Freedom Caucus, a far-right congressional caucus of Republican representatives, secured a minority of these seats. During the speakership election for the 118th Congress, McCarthy faced significant opposition within the Republican Conference from the Freedom Caucus, who saw him as untrustworthy and insufficiently conservative. After fifteen rounds of voting, McCarthy was elected speaker, conceding to his opponents by allowing any representative to file a motion to vacate. The potential of a government shutdown began to take hold in July 2023, with the Freedom Caucus—in demonstrations of austerity and defiance toward McCarthy—opposing spending bills to fund the government.
By September, the federal government appeared poised to shut down; the Freedom Caucus furthered its warnings to McCarthy by threatening to file a motion to vacate if he brokered a deal with Democrats instead of passing legislation the caucus supported. McCarthy nevertheless led the House of Representatives in passing a continuing resolution on September 30, with the passage being reliant on bipartisan support, but with more Democrats than Republicans voting in favor. On October 2, Gaetz, a member of the Freedom Caucus, filed a motion to vacate: he claimed that he did so because the continuing resolution did not contain any spending policy Republicans were advocating for and that McCarthy had effectively fully caved in to Democrats' demands. McCarthy and his allies maintained Gaetz was motivated by personal animosity.
Following an unsuccessful motion to table by Representative Tom Cole, Republican Chair of the Rules Committee, Republican representatives debated McCarthy's speakership on the House floor. When the time for debate expired, the House voted to remove McCarthy, with insurgent Republicans and the minority Democrats voting against him. The speaker's chair was vacated and Patrick McHenry of North Carolina—a McCarthy ally—was made speaker pro tempore and the House went without a proper speaker until the October 25 election of Mike Johnson of Louisiana. McCarthy subsequently announced his resignation from Congress effective at the end of 2023.
Analysis[edit]
The Washington Post political contributor Dan Balz speculated that the ousting of McCarthy could hurt Republicans during the 2024 elections.[69]
Political observers have noted a historical parallel between the turmoil engulfing the House Republican Conference surrounding McCarthy's removal and the events following the resignation of Newt Gingrich precipitated by an internal caucus rebellion in the wake of the 1998 elections. The lead-up to the 106th United States Congress was marked by significant events, including the 1998 bombing of Iraq and the impeachment of Bill Clinton; during this turbulent period, Bob Livingston was briefly the presumptive speaker before he, too, resigned, with then-little-known Dennis Hastert ultimately becoming speaker on January 6, 1999.[70]