In a historic precedent, the US House of Representatives voted to impeach its Speaker, Kevin McCarthy. The position of Speaker of the House of Representatives was declared vacant, and McCarthy would continue to serve until a new Speaker was elected.
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The House of Representatives voted American In favor of impeaching its president, Kevin McCarthy, for the first time in US history.
The vote was 216 to 210 in favor of impeaching McCarthy. The position of Speaker of the House of Representatives was declared vacant, and McCarthy would continue to serve until a new Speaker was elected.
U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s chances for a second term dwindled Tuesday after Democrats announced they would not save a vote by hardliners within his Republican Party to remove him.
McCarthy drew the ire of the hard-right wing of his party over the weekend by working with Democrats to pass a temporary budget deal to avoid a government shutdown.
Congressman Matt Gates, a longtime opponent of McCarthy, led the movement. On Monday, he submitted a memorandum “to vacate the post of Speaker of the House of Representatives”, leading to a vote at around 14:00 (18:00 GMT).
The move forces Democrats to decide whether to protect the House speaker, who supported former President Donald Trump and recently opened an investigation into impeachment of President Joe Biden.
Ultimately, Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries encouraged Democrats to oust McCarthy, while describing right-wing lawmakers as “MAGA extremists” in what he referred to as Trump’s “Make America Great Again” campaign.
“Unwilling to truly and completely abandon MAGA extremism, House Democratic leadership will vote ‘yes’ to Republican action to vacate the Speaker’s office,” Jeffries said in a letter to his colleagues.
The latest battle in Congress comes two days after the House and Senate passed a measure with overwhelming bipartisan majorities in both chambers to avert a costly government shutdown by extending federal funding through mid-November.
Conservatives were angered by McCarthy’s shift in position, who vowed to end the hastily prepared, Democratic-backed temporary legislation and return to the process by which the budget issue was handled. groups.
The House speaker has not received much support from either party, and many liberal representatives have indicated they prefer to follow from a distance rather than intervene in the squabbles within the Republican Party.
McCarthy’s allies insist that he is opposed to making deals with Democrats, and that if he responds to such demands, he will face a new wave of criticism in any case.
The right-wing House Freedom Caucus has been a thorn in McCarthy’s side since winning office in January, but many of its key members have announced they will reject his impeachment.
Representative Ralph Norman of South Carolina said, “I am deeply disappointed in many aspects of McCarthy’s leadership, but now is not the time to fire him.”
France 24/AFP/Reuters
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