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On October 4, according to CNN, with 216 votes in favor and 210 votes against, the US House of Representatives voted to impeach House Speaker Kevin McCarthy amid fierce internal competition in the Republican Party, causing the US Congress to face chaos.
Continuous pressure
Following the vote, House Finance Committee Chairman Patrick McHenry, R-North Carolina, will assume the role of acting speaker until the legislature elects a new leader. McCarthy begins his term as speaker on January 7, 2023. He has announced that he will not seek reelection as speaker.
This is the first time the US House of Representatives has voted to remove its leader. The reason is that a group of Republican members led by Representative Matt Gaetz objected to Mr. McCarthy relying on the votes of the Democratic Party to pass a resolution to extend temporary funding for the government to continue operating for another 45 days (until November 17).
Mr. McCarthy has faced repeated opposition from the group of lawmakers when he compromised with the Democrats on funding and government aid to Ukraine. The Republicans control the House of Representatives with a narrow majority of 221-212, so only five people needing to object would be enough to threaten Mr. McCarthy's power in the event that all Democrats vote to impeach him.
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Former Speaker of the US House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy |
Fierce legislative battle
Following the developments in the House, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said President Joe Biden looks forward to working with the new Speaker of the House and the Senate to address the priorities of the American people. The urgent challenges facing the United States remain, so he hopes the House will quickly elect a new speaker.
The Speaker of the House is the third most powerful position in the US government, after the president and vice president. Choosing the Speaker of the House is an internal job of the majority party. Normally, after the election, all members of the House of Representatives will vote to elect the speaker after the new term of Congress begins. The candidate must win at least 218 votes in favor of the 435 seats in the House of Representatives, which can be lower if there are members who do not vote.
According to the US Constitution, the speaker of the House does not have to be a member of Congress. That is why some Republicans have nominated former President Donald Trump for this position. However, Donald Trump has announced his candidacy for president and affirmed that he does not want to take up a position in the House. The US House of Representatives is expected to maintain the current status quo for at least a week. Many Republican congressmen said they plan to meet on October 10 to choose a successor to Mr. McCarthy, with the vote for the new speaker scheduled for October 11.
Observers say the developments show that the battle between lawmakers in Washington is getting more intense. The vacancy of the House speakership will effectively halt most of the legislative body’s activities until a new leader is appointed. This situation comes as the US Congress has only 40 days to pass spending bills for the 2024 fiscal year; otherwise, the US government is at risk of another shutdown.
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