Republican Kevin McCarthy was removed as Speaker of the US House of Representatives on Tuesday. The majority voted for it. This is the first time in American history that the Speaker of the House of Representatives has been removed in this way.
McCarthy lost the vote in the House after a party member introduced a motion against him. Because a group of radical Republicans voted against McCarthy, he no longer had enough support to remain in office. He did not expect any support from the Democrats: they said “yes” to his impeachment.
Dissident Republican Representative Matt Gaetz and other hardliners within former President Donald Trump’s Republican Party are deeply dissatisfied with the agreement McCarthy concluded with Democrats on Saturday. This agreement prevented a government shutdown.
Had that not happened, the federal government would have been partially shut down. Only then can the necessary payments be made. Many civil servants were left without salaries until an agreement was reached on a new budget.
Only essential government services will remain open, such as border control, rescue, and components concerned with national security.
Buitenlandverslaggever Matthijs le Loux:
McCarthy heeft een historische nederlaag te verduren, de eerste van zijn soort. De Republikein Joseph Cannon kreeg in 1910 ook een afzettingsstemming tegen zich, maar wist die te overleven.
McCarthy wordt gedefinieerd door zijn ambitie en staat bekend als iemand wiens principes meebewegen met de dominante denkrichting binnen de Republikeinse Partij. Hij was een van de eersten binnen het leiderschap van de partij die Donald Trump in 2016 verwelkomden als presidentskandidaat.
De stroom van uitgesproken radicaal-rechtse afgevaardigden naar voorbeeld van Trump werd McCarthy’s voorzitterschap uiteindelijk fataal. Begin dit jaar waren er vijftien stemrondes voor nodig om zijn diep gewenste voorzittersfunctie te verkrijgen. Zijn pad werd geblokkeerd door dezelfde partijgenoten. Uiteindelijk moest hij een deal met hen sluiten, die onder meer inhield dat er maar één rebel nodig was om de vertrouwensstemming tegen hem in gang te zetten.
De magere Republikeinse meerderheid in het Huis van Afgevaardigden liet McCarthy geen ruimte om de rebelse afgevaardigden te ontwijken.
It is unclear who will succeed McCarthy
It is unclear who will succeed McCarthy now. Gaetz and the group of hardliners haven’t put anyone forward yet, but the question is whether the radical Republican can get a majority behind him.
It appears that McCarthy himself will make another bid for the leadership. The majority of Republican delegates still support him. “We’re OK with postponing this as long as we need to,” said David Valadao of California, who opposed. POLITICO. “We will all be there for the president for as long as he wants.”
For McCarthy to become president again, he will have to convince some of the hard-liners who have now ousted him to support him again.
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