The United States House of Representatives currently has no leader. On Tuesday, Oct. 3, Rep Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was removed as Speaker of the House. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., put forward the motion to “vacate the chair,” according to NPR. The final vote on the motion was 216 in favor of the motion and 210 against the motion. All Democrats voted in favor of the motion, and eight Republicans voted in favor of the motion. CNN reports that those eight Republicans were Gaetz, Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., Ken Buck, R-Colo., Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., Eli Crane R-Ariz., Bob Good, R-Va, Nancy Mace, R-S.C., and Matt Rosendale, R-Mont.
Tensions in the House have started to rise in recent weeks. Republicans had trouble agreeing on what to put in the continuing resolution,a function that funds the government for a little longer while Congress finishes creating the budget t. According to Reuters, most Republicans wanted minor spending cuts in the CR, but nothing major,while Gaetz and his small band of Republicans wanted huge spending cuts. The Republicans debated this issue for a while and it was starting to look like the government would shut down because there would be no funding.
Then, on Saturday, Sept. 30, McCarthy came to a deal with the Democrats in the House. McCarthy’s CR with the Democrats avoided massive spending cuts but also lacked aid for Ukraine. Reuters reports that the CR passed the House with 335 members voting in support of it and 91 members voting against it. Politico reports after this vote, Gaetz was furious with McCarthy because he worked with the Democrats to pass the CR. As a result, Gaetz put forward the “motion to vacate,” which meant that McCarthy would be removed as speaker. This motion only needed five Republicans to vote in favor of it, because Republicans have such a small majority all of the Democrats just had to vote with the five Republicans. Once McCarthy was removed from speaker, he said he would not run for the position again.
The two main candidates to take his job are Steve Scalise, R-La. and Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. Until a new speaker is chosen, the interim speaker is Patrick McHenry, R-N.C.. Without an actual speaker, the House is limited in what it can do. The House is trying to elect a new speaker as quickly as possible in order to send more aid to Israel, and without a speaker, they cannot send more aid. As of Wednesday morning (Oct. 11), CNN reports that Scalise is the favorite to become the next speaker, that Republicans just had a closed-door caucus meeting, and most of the caucus is behind Scalise.
EMU-student Sophia Sherrill, senior political science and history double-major, shared her thoughts:,”Speaker McCarthy has never put the American people first. He was too willing to make concessions with the so-called “right flank” of the Republican party, and his gamble didn’t pay off. The hope now is that the new speaker is able to be a force for bipartisan cooperation, and puts an end to the foolishness plaguing not only the Republican party, but all of Congress.”
Sophia Sherrill works as a copy editor for the Weather Vane.
