The U.S. House of Representatives voted on Tuesday to remove GOP Rep. Kevin McCarthy from his position as Speaker of the House.
The House will now have to choose a new speaker, but it is unclear who McCarthy’s replacement will be. The vote comes after Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) filed a motion on Monday to remove McCarthy from the leadership position.
Just before the vote on Tuesday, Gaetz posted on X, formerly Twitter, “I don’t think voting against
@SpeakerMcCarthy is chaos. I think $33 Trillion in debt is chaos. I think not passing single-subject spending bills is chaos. I think being governed by continuing resolutions and omnibus bills is chaos. Chaos is somebody we cannot trust with their word. That’s why I’ve moved to vacate the chair.”
Before the vote to remove McCarthy, House Democrat leader Hakeem Jeffries confirmed House Democrat leadership would support Gaetz’s effort.
“It is now the responsibility of the GOP members to end the House Republican Civil War. Given their unwillingness to break from MAGA extremism in an authentic and comprehensive manner, House Democratic leadership will vote yes on the pending Republican Motion to Vacate the Chair,” Jeffries wrote.
McCarthy initially said he was “confident” he would “hold on,” but noted the odds were against him.
“If five Republicans go with Democrats, then I’m out,” McCarthy said.
A reporter pressed the speaker, saying it looked “likely” that he would be removed from power, to which McCarthy responded, “Probably so.”
