In a historic first, Rep. Kevin McCarthy has become the first speaker of the House to be ousted from the chair by a vote of fellow representatives.
In a final vote of 216-210, a handful of Republicans, led by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), joined the Democratic caucus in voting to remove McCarthy over the protest of the vast majority of Republican lawmakers in the House.
House Democrats stayed true to instructions given by minority leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), voting to vacate the chair after helping the breakaway Republicans defeat a vote to table the resolution earlier in the day. Jeffries released a statement prior to the vote, declaring, “House Democratic leadership will vote yes on the pending Republican motion to vacate the chair.”
Along with the Democratic lawmakers, eight Republicans, including Bob Good (VA), Matt Gaetz, Eli Crane (AZ), Nancy Mace (SC), Matt Rosendale (MN), Tim Burchett (TN), Andy Biggs (AZ), and Ken Buck (CO), voted to vacate the speaker’s chair.
House rules require that an incoming speaker submit a list of members who could temporarily serve as speaker in the event of a vacancy in the position. The first name on that list, which was submitted by McCarthy in January, was Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC), who is now the speaker pro tempore.
How long McHenry will remain in the position and whether he will be able to wield all the powers of the chair is unclear. Congress finds itself in unchartered waters, as this is the first time a speaker pro tempore has led the House.