(USNewsMag.com) – California Rep. Kevin McCarthy has been removed from his position as House Speaker after Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz introduced a motion to vacate on Oct. 3.
After the House passed a 45-day continuing resolution that prevented a government shutdown, Gaetz introduced the motion to vacate, accusing McCarthy of reneging on his commitments to conservatives. Though the resolution continued to fund the government and avoid a shutdown, some conservatives argued that it broke campaign promises by continuing to extend the funding levels of the previous Congress that was controlled by the Democrats.
The motion forced the House to vote on whether McCarthy should remain as speaker. While many Republicans supported McCarthy as speaker, only five Republicans needed to join with all the Democrats to vote against him in order for him to be removed as speaker.
On the morning of Oct. 3, before the vote, there were already four Republicans who had stated they intended to join Gaetz in voting against McCarthy. The four Republicans joining Gaetz were Arizona Rep. Eli Crane, Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett, Virginia Rep. Bob Good, and Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs. In the final 216-210 vote, three more Republicans joined Gaetz in voting against McCarthy, including Colorado Rep. Ken Buck, South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace, and Montana Rep. Matt Rosendale.
Before the vote, Gaetz was concerned McCarthy would make a deal to gain the support of Democrats by offering funding for Ukraine after the $6 billion in funding was removed from the 45-day continuing resolution. On Oct. 2, President Joe Biden said there was a deal for funding for Ukraine but offered no details. However, all Democrats voted against McCarthy as speaker.
On Oct. 2 on Twitter, Biggs wrote that McCarthy “cannot remain speaker.” He wrote that he had feared federal spending would not be reined in under McCarthy, adding that “these fears are now reality.”
After Gaetz made the motion to vacate, McCarthy took to Twitter and wrote, “Bring it on.”
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