The US House of Representatives dismissed its Speaker McCarthy
The US House of Representatives dismissed its Speaker Kevin McCarthy. 216 legislators voted for his removal from office, 210 against.
This happened for the first time in the history of the United States. There was a similar attempt in 1910, but it was unsuccessful.
Now the work of American legislators is effectively frozen; they have to propose candidates for voting, after which elections will be held. All this comes amid uncertainty over US government funding following the adoption of a 45-day stopgap budget that does not include aid to Ukraine.
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Who called for McCarthy’s resignation and why?
Member of the US House of Representatives, Republican Matt Gaetz, filed a petition to remove Kevin McCarthy, this became known on October 3. He told reporters that American lawmakers need new leadership they can trust.
I am announcing that I am raising the issue of the privileges of the House of Representatives… and declaring the office of Speaker of the House of Representatives vacant
The proposal to resign the speaker came after he compromised with the Democrats and ensured the adoption of a bill to finance the government in order to avoid a shutdown.
Gaetz also accused McCarthy of a secret deal with US President Joe Biden on further funding for Ukraine.
He added that the United States faces a $2.2 trillion budget deficit, as well as the de-dollarization of the global economy, which has negative consequences for working-class Americans.
Kevin McCarthy is a “swamp” character who rose to power by collecting donations from lobby groups and redistributing them in exchange for services rendered
McCarthy, in turn, rejected such statements and noted that there is no additional deal with the head of the White House. He said that he had not spoken with the American leader for several months.
Prior to this, Biden called for an end to the “brinkmanship” between Democrats and Republicans in Congress over the issue of support for Ukraine. He asked Republicans to honor the deal, which could include an agreement for Congress to pass a separate Ukraine aid bill without including it in next year’s budget bill.
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Who will take over as Speaker pro tempore of the House of Representatives?
The lower house of the US Congress announced that North Carolina representative Patrick McHenry will become interim speaker.
The person nominated by the former speaker himself will act temporarily. McCarthy named several names; the first person on this list will take the position.
The first name on the list provided to the clerk is Patrick McHenry from North Carolina.
Republican Matthew Gaetz, who initiated the resignation of the speaker, said that he has no ambitions to take his place.
Previously, McCarthy said that he was ready to be removed from his post if the outcome of the vote was appropriate. He added that he intends to “fight for American society.”
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Reaction to McCarthy’s resignation
Democratic Senator from West Virginia Joe Manchin called the resignation of the Speaker of the House of Representatives a sad event for the United States, which sends a negative signal to the world about American democracy.
It is a shame, for the first time in history, that we find ourselves in a situation where cooperating with the other side is almost a political sin
He stressed that it would be difficult to govern the country without compromise between both parties.
Russian Senator Alexei Pushkov pointed out that in the United States, the threat of a shutdown was compounded by a political crisis in Congress, partly caused by the conflict over funding for Ukraine.
The member of the Federation Council noted that the issue of supporting Kyiv has moved from a rhetorical plane to a practical one, and as the elections approach, the split on this issue will only grow.
Temporary government budget and the issue of financing Ukraine
On September 30, the US House of Representatives approved a temporary budget without aid to Ukraine. The bill was then approved by the Senate.
US President Joe Biden criticized the project for the lack of assistance to Ukraine, saying that Washington under no circumstances can stop supporting Kyiv.
The head of state said he expects McCarthy to be fully committed to continuing to provide the assistance Ukraine needs “at this critical moment.”
Despite criticism, Biden signed the draft budget for 45 days to avoid a shutdown.
The American leader also told allies that the United States will continue to support Ukraine despite the views of Republicans in Congress.
Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council (NSC) of the White House, John Kirby, noted that the remaining US funds to assist Ukraine will last for about a couple of months if Congress does not allocate new ones.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the remaining $5.2 billion in the Pentagon budget for military aid to Kyiv will only last for six months if the current pace of deliveries continues.
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