Kevin McCarthy, once Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, was ousted from his post after a vote in the House on Oct. 4 (Singapore time).
Following a motion to vacate by Representative Matt Gaetz (R-Florida), eight members from McCarthy's own Republican party joined the Democratic party in voting to kick McCarthy out.
The motion passed 216 to 210, leaving the House without a Speaker. Until it elects a new Speaker, no other legislation can be passed, leaving it paralysed as a government shutdown looms on the horizon.
Speaker's downfall
McCarthy's downfall appeared likely after he reached a compromise with President Joe Biden to pass a 45-day bill to keep the U.S. government funded.
As he did not include any demands from the hardline wing of his party, such as deep spending cuts or restrictions on immigration and refugees, McCarthy faced backlash from his own party members.
This led Gaetz to file his motion. The eight Republicans who voted for it included prominent hardliners like Gaetz, Andy Biggs (R-Arizona) and Nancy Mace (R-South Carolina).
Before the vote, there was speculation that McCarthy's political opponents, the House Democrats, could join with moderate Republicans to save his skin.
But McCarthy refused to make any concessions to the Democratic party and publicly blamed them for "wanting a government shutdown" on national television, which likely sunk whatever support he could have gotten from his opponents.
AOC explains just how badly Kevin McCarthy screwed himself
1: Congress was supposed to be on recess this week. He called them back for unclear reasons.
2: If a motion to vacate the chair is launched, the Speaker has 48 hours to shore up his support before the vote. He waived… pic.twitter.com/ObmDGq1OTA
— Armand Domalewski (@ArmandDoma) October 4, 2023
What's next?
Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-North Carolina) is currently serving as interim Speaker, but a number of Republicans are expected to make a bid for the Speaker's gavel, including Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana) and Elise Stefanik (R-New York).
Depending on who emerges on top, that person will be expected to negotiate with the Democratic party and President Biden over passing a full budget, as the time bought by McCarthy's spending bill runs out.
If an agreement can't be reached, the U.S. government will be headed for a shutdown.
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Top image from Kevin McCarthy's Facebook page.