The path to the presidency of the US House of Representatives was difficult for Kevin McCarthy. After the violent budget dispute over the weekend, the right wing of his party is once again making life difficult for him – and resorting to a rare measure.
U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is facing extraordinary pressure to be removed from office. Republican lawmaker Matt Gaetz, from the ultra-right wing of the parliamentary group, introduced a motion on Monday to remove his party colleague McCarthy. Gaetz did not propose an alternative leader for the House of Representatives.
The backdrop is the recent agreement on a transitional budget until November 17, which averted an imminent shutdown in government business over the weekend. To get the bridge financing approved, McCarthy relied on Democratic votes. Previously, his budget proposals had failed, mainly due to resistance from radicals in his group.
Revolt on the ultra-right periphery
Representative Gaetz had been threatening McCarthy for months with a motion to remove him. After the so-called shutdown was averted, the dispute escalated. Gaetz said he has enough Republicans on his side “that by this time next week one of two things will happen: Kevin McCarthy will no longer be speaker of the House or he will be speaker of the House, working at the mercy of Democrats.”
McCarthy again appeared belligerent. “Just come,” he said in response.
Historic step with uncertain outcome
Gaetz’s proposal does not mean McCarthy will automatically lose his job. This would require a majority in the House of Representatives. A vote could also be avoided with motions. The Chamber of Congress will have to deal with this in the coming days. No speaker of the House of Representatives has ever lost his position as a result of such a move, and such a move has only occurred sporadically in recent decades.
Gaetz was one of more than a dozen right-wing Republicans who repeatedly voted against McCarthy’s bid for House speaker in January. McCarthy ultimately prevailed after 15 votes. A prerequisite for his victory in the January vote was that McCarthy agree to a rules change that would allow a single member of the House of Representatives to request a vote on whether to recall the Republican, known in English as the “Speaker.” Radical MPs have lobbied McCarthy tirelessly ever since.