The Republican Kevin McCarthy He was removed this Tuesday as leader of the United States House of Representatives, following a motion against him presented by a member of his own party in retaliation for concessions made to Democrats.
(In context: Kevin McCarthy is removed as leader of the United States House of Representatives)
The resolution, introduced on Monday by conservative Matt Gaetz, was approved by 216 votes in favor and 210 against, making history as it is the first time that a motion of this type comes forward.
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Gaetz, opposed from the beginning to McCarthy’s nomination as leader, had threatened for months to activate the process to remove him from office and that threat accelerated last weekend, after McCarthy supported Democratic votes to advance the law. which extended the Administration’s financing on key issues for 45 days and thus avoided a Government shutdown.
Since the midterm elections last November, the conservatives have 221 seats in that chamber and the Democrats, 212. Activating the motion of censure only required that it be promoted by a legislator, whether Democrat or Republican, and that the vote reach a simple majority to be approved. As there are two vacancies in the House of Representatives, that figure stood at 217 votes.
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Gaetz is part of the so-called “Freedom Caucus,” the wing of the Republican Party most sympathetic to former President Donald Trump.
“After eight months of failed leadership and this historic impeachment, I think we should turn the page and find someone else. What has paralyzed the House of Representatives is McCarthy’s failure,” said Gaetz, who ruled out running for that position and was not considered responsible for the legislative “chaos” that some predict.
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Only two other Speakers of the House of Representatives in the last century have had a motion against them, both unsuccessfully: against fellow Republicans Joseph Cannon, in 1910, and John Boehner, in 2015.
On that last occasion it was not put to a vote, but its presentation was a trigger for Boehner’s resignation months later.
McCarthy’s dismissal deepens the division between moderates and radicals within the Republican Party and plunges the Lower House into uncertainty and chaos, now paralyzed until the election of a new president.
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I hope they know that every day I worked regardless of whether they underestimated me or not. I wanted to do it with a smile.
McCarthy came to office in January of this year, after 15 votes that were successively blocked by their opponents within the same party, including Gaetz, who abstained from the last two. On that occasion, McCarthy also made history by being the first in a century not to be elected on the first try.
The regulations of that chamber establish that it is the Speaker himself, as that position is called in English, who must prepare the list of his substitutes and the order in which they can serve on an interim basis in the event of a vacancy until the election of a new leader.
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Thus, McCarthy will be temporarily replaced by fellow Republican Patrick McHenry, representative of North Carolina’s 10th district.
Democrats and Republicans can now present their own candidates, who must surpass the majority of the votes cast to win that position.
And although he could run again, McCarthy announced this Tuesday that he will not run. “He may have lost a vote, but I fought for what I believe in. And I believe in America. It has been an honor to serve,” she wrote on her X account, formerly Twitter.
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In a subsequent press conference, the Republican stated: “I will not run for president (of the House) again. (…) I hope you know that every day I worked regardless of whether they underestimated me or not. I wanted to do it with a smile” .
For now, the American media points out that there is no obvious successor to unify the Republican party.
The vacuum in office comes in the midst of budget negotiations for the current fiscal year and with the deadline of November 17, when the Government once again threatens to shut down if Congress does not act to keep it funded. A disruptive shutdown would have cascading effects throughout the US economy.
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US aid to Ukraine is also up in the air, which was left out of these regulations and is expected to be contemplated in a separate bill.. And, on the other hand, the controversial battles over immigration and asylum policy, as well as support for people in vulnerable situations, hang in the balance.
For now, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated this Tuesday that President Joe Biden hopes that the appointment of the new president will be quick “because the urgent challenges facing our nation are not going to wait.”
In the United States, however, there is no rule that establishes how long the interim presidency can be extended, but the urgency of the moment urges that the replacement process not be delayed, since in practice the interim president can only manage administrative issues. and new legislation must await the arrival of the next leader.
WILLIAM MORENO HERNÁNDEZ
INTERNATIONAL EDITORIAL
*With information from EFE
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