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What Johnson didn’t articulate was how a rowdy bunch of flamethrowers on his right flank — roughly 15 members, many members of the vocal Freedom Caucus — has pretty much sabotaged any hope of a conservative legislative agenda this Congress. These hard-liners have refused to compromise on everything from immigration reform, to government spending to foreign aid for Ukraine, and in the process have yielded power to a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers. The well-respected No. 2 Republican, Eric Cantor of Virginia, had lost his primary in 2014. The No. 3, McCarthy, soon ran aground over remarks in a TV interview and lacked the votes to be speaker.
McCarthy's speakership
McCarthy could be seen talking, one on one, in whispered and animated conversations in the House chamber. His emissaries sidled up to holdouts, and grueling negotiations proceeded in the GOP whip’s office down the hall. Through defeat after defeat, McCarthy remained determined to persuade Republicans to end the paralyzing debate that has blighted his new GOP majority. With McCarthy’s supporters and foes locked in stalemate, the House cannot fully open for the new session, essentially at a standstill, unable to swear in elected members and conduct official business.
The stalled effort to elect a House speaker
"The Republican Party is expanding every day, and I am committed to lending my experience to support the next generation of leaders." WASHINGTON — Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who this fall became the first speaker to be ousted from power in the middle of a congressional term, said Wednesday he will resign from office at the end of this month. But in many ways, McCarthy’s ouster was set in motion when, in deal-making with hard-right holdouts at the start of the year, he agreed to a series of demands — including a rules change that allowed any single lawmaker to file the motion to vacate. The concessions may not quite go that far, and it’s unlikely that McCarthy will wear a black silk gown like his counterpart in Parliament. However, he’s not going to wield the same power as Nancy Pelosi did, or even Paul Ryan and John Boehner. After decades where the position of speaker has grown increasingly powerful, the deal reached Friday reduces the role of the office.
Kevin McCarthy removed as House speaker in historic first - NPR
Kevin McCarthy removed as House speaker in historic first.
Posted: Tue, 03 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Jeffries
Kevin McCarthy looks back at career, including historic removal as House speaker - ABC News
Kevin McCarthy looks back at career, including historic removal as House speaker.
Posted: Sun, 10 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
McCarthy’s chief rival, Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, orchestrated the rare vote on the obscure “motion to vacate,” and pushed ahead swiftly into a dramatic afternoon roll call. All House members of the 118th Congress that voted against party lines or were absent for one or both votes, are noted here. Though there is nothing wrong with that — you can’t accomplish a great deal in politics without making friends and winning elections — there has never been much more than that. McCarthy has proven a man unworthy of trust, his spine bendable, his values pliable, his beliefs open to barter. Democrat Jeffries of New York won the most votes on every ballot but also remained short of a majority. What started as a political novelty, the first time since 1923 a nominee had not won the gavel on the first vote, has devolved into a bitter Republican Party feud and deepening potential crisis.
His ouster this year wasn’t the first time he had clashed with conservative bomb throwers. For McCarthy, winning the speaker’s gavel in January after a grueling 15-ballot floor fight was the pinnacle of a long political career in Sacramento and Washington. As night fell before the second anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol by Trump supporters trying to overturn Joe Biden’s election, Democrats said it was time to get serious. The divisive speaker’s fight only underscored the fragility of American democracy exposed by that assault. The contours of an agreement with holdouts from the conservative Freedom Caucus began to take shape, including several of the key rules changes they have been seeking for months.
How today’s antiwar protests stack up against major student movements in history
The House committee that investigated the Jan. 6 attack has referred Mr. Perry and Mr. Biggs to the Ethics Committee for refusing to comply with its subpoenas. “We stand here with our democracy intact because of those officers,” said Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the top Democrat in the House, as tears welled up in some House members’ eyes. In 2021, Democrats, newly in control of Washington, agreed to overhaul and rebrand the practice, changing the name from earmarks to “community project funding,” and introducing more limits and transparency.
He has also been appearing in New York state court this week for a trial in a civil fraud case brought by the New York attorney general. Republicans have a narrow majority of 221 to 212, and McCarthy only managed to become speaker by making a series of concessions to the most conservative members. If Republicans can't coalesce around a consensus candidate, Democrats could attempt to build a coalition with Republicans, Green said. While other speakers throughout history have stepped down after losing the support of their party, McCarthy is the first to be ousted through a vote of the full House in the middle of a congressional term. Friday's standoff coincides with the second anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, when supporters of then-President Donald Trump breached the building with the aim of stopping Congress from certifying the 2020 presidential election in favor of Joe Biden.
Members of the House had to limit the number of their requests, letters were required documenting the need for the proposed project, and the amount of federal funds that could be directed toward earmarks overall was capped. They are the last remaining six Republican holdouts who in the last round voted against Mr. McCarthy. As scenes of frustration and confusion unfolded on the House floor, the mood at Bullfeathers felt similar, albeit on a much smaller scale. The bartenders turned the overhead lights back on, and small groups huddled while still minding the screens. After Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida, who ending up holding the deciding vote, said “present,” most seated at the bar fell quiet. Another clapped wildly when Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the Democratic leader, was nominated.
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In the speaker’s job, McCarthy’s well-known savvy for fundraising and political glad-handing appeared ill-suited for corralling his party’s hard-right members. Deals he cut to become speaker — including a rules change that allowed any single lawmaker to file a motion to remove him — left him vulnerable. McCarthy’s timeline means he would depart before the Feb. 13 special election to replace expelled Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., further cutting the Republican majority to 220 members to 213 Democrats.
Johnson faces backlash from hard-right members of his party after he joined Democrats on Saturday to pass a critical foreign aid package that included $60.8 billion of aid for Ukraine. Republican Reps. Paul Gosar of Arizona and Thomas Massie of Kentucky have signed on to the motion to vacate, which Greene authored but hasn't yet brought to the floor as a privileged resolution. In 1989 Speaker Jim Wright of Texas resigned under pressure following revelations about a book deal the House Ethics Committee saw as circumventing fundraising rules. Longworth's successor, John "Cactus Jack" Garner of Texas, left the office after just over a year to be Franklin Roosevelt's first vice president.
It adds to a wave of retirements in both parties, as many members seek higher office or look to escape the partisan rancor that often paralyzes the chamber. Republicans have been split by infighting and the rare expulsion last week of indicted GOP Rep. George Santos of New York, dashing hopes for major accomplishments and leaving the majority straining to conduct the basic business of governing. Word about McCarthy’s future had been expected, days before the filing deadline to seek reelection to the House. But his decision ricocheted across Capitol Hill, where his departure will leave the already paper-thin House GOP majority even tighter, with just a few seats to spare. His decision to bow out and fight another day eventually allowed him to rise to the top job this January. But McCarthy continued to tangle with rabble-rousers in his own party over things like raising the debt ceiling and spending.
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