After serving less than 10 months as Speaker of the House and navigating through high-stakes negotiations on the debt ceiling and government funding, Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was ousted from his leadership role after he failed to thwart a motion to vacate brought against him by Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla. The vote against McCarthy was the first-ever successful motion to vacate the Speaker of the House.
Few were under the impression that Democrats would step in to save McCarthy, and the eight Republicans who eventually sealed his fate had varying reasons for their votes against him. From personal promises that they felt went unfulfilled to the most recent negotiations surrounding the debt ceiling and a continuing resolution to avoid a government shutdown, these eight argued that McCarthy had failed to keep his word or produce adequate policy wins for the GOP.
However, 210 of their Republican colleagues disagreed, and so for an hour on Oct. 3, the internal jockeying that typically occurs behind closed doors was on full display on the House floor, with Gaetz and Republican lawmakers leveling policy and personal attacks against one another, revealing to the American public the deep divisions among House Republicans.
Regardless of whom House Republicans choose as their next speaker, the problems facing the narrow Republican majority will persist and potentially worsen, with a more divided conference than ever and deep harbored resentments and distrust against those eight Republicans.
Additionally, while McCarthy was able to negotiate deals to avoid defaulting on our national debt and prevent a government shutdown, the latest government-funding deal expires on Nov. 17. The slim Republican majority has faced criticism of being ungovernable, and Republican leadership will face a daunting task to pass all 12 individual appropriations bills, negotiate with Senate Democrats and the White House and produce a final product palatable for this small faction of the Republican conference—or, without changes to the House rules, risk facing a motion-to-vacate vote themselves.
Heading into the final year of Joe Biden’s first term as president, Republicans are working to ensure that it’s his last while also bolstering their slim majority in the House and retaking the Senate. If House Republicans are unable to prove to the American people that they are capable of governing effectively, it could have a major impact on voters in a pivotal election.
