Former House speaker Kevin McCarthy announces hes leaving Congress

Table Of Content

• Newly sworn-in congresswoman says House speaker vote unfolded "just as it should"
• These 21 House members didn't vote for Kevin McCarthy. Here's what they want
• The divisions playing out in the Capitol this week have posed problems for Kevin McCarthy at home, too.
• Opinion: The Supreme Court just showed us that Trump is not incompetent. He’s a master of corruption
• Democratic Party
• It’s official: All 50 states have sent women to Congress
• House majority leader

"Throughout her time in Congress, she's been a legendary legislator, a fabulous facilitator and a no-nonsense negotiator." "This is not a dictatorship where one person gets to decide everything for the entire conference. ... So we saw it play out just as it should," De La Cruz told CNN's Fredricka Whitfield on Saturday. Massachusetts Rep. Katherine Clark assumed her role as House minority whip in the early hours of Saturday morning, becoming the highest-ranking Democratic woman in the chamber. President Joe Biden spoke with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to congratulate him on winning the gavel in a call Saturday afternoon, according to the White House. But the speech infuriated Mr. Trump, and Mr. McCarthy quickly worked to get back in the former president’s good graces, traveling to his Florida resort, Mar-a-Lago, three weeks later to meet with him.

Newly sworn-in congresswoman says House speaker vote unfolded "just as it should"

Those changes would shrink the power of the speaker’s office and give rank-and-file lawmakers more influence in drafting legislation. Eight Republican lawmakers joined 208 Democrats in toppling the former Bakersfield congressman, the first time in history a House leader has been voted out. His victory followed days of negotiating with the far-right members of the House Republican conference, and in order to win their backing, McCarthy agreed to a number of their demands. Chief among them was lowering the threshold for the motion to vacate, which allowed a single member to call for a vote to remove the speaker. Ahead of the vote, there was speculation that Democrats might step in to save McCarthy's speakership by voting "present" rather than in favor of the motion to vacate. But McCarthy said he was not willing to offer any concessions to Democrats to help him stay in power.

These 21 House members didn't vote for Kevin McCarthy. Here's what they want

The fact that Trump's endorsement of McCarthy — which he reiterated on Wednesday — did not shift significant support from those members suggested the former president's influence over them is waning. After McCarthy failed to secure the speakership in a 14th round of voting late Friday night, the House quashed a motion to adjourn until Monday and instead opted to continue voting in a 15th — and ultimately final — round of balloting. Jeffries now leads the minority party in the House, succeeding California's Nancy Pelosi, who served as speaker in the prior session of Congress when Democrats held the majority.

Matt Gaetz files resolution to oust McCarthy as speaker - The Associated Press

Matt Gaetz files resolution to oust McCarthy as speaker.

Posted: Mon, 02 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

The divisions playing out in the Capitol this week have posed problems for Kevin McCarthy at home, too.

Not since the disputed election of 1923 has a candidate for House speaker faced the public scrutiny of convening a new session of Congress only to have it descend into chaos, with one vote after another until a new speaker is chosen. In his quest to be House speaker, Kevin McCarthy is charging straight into history — potentially becoming the first nominee in 100 years unable to win the job on a first-round floor vote. In California, Friday is the last day for candidates to file paperwork to enter the 2024 elections. If the vacancy occurs before the end of that period, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom would be required to call a special election to fill McCarthy’s seat. McCarthy emerged from the fight weakened, especially considering Republicans held only a fragile margin in the chamber after a predicted “red wave” failed to materialize in the 2022 elections.

"If you throw a speaker out that has 99 percent of their conference, that kept government open and paid the troops, I think we're in a really bad place," McCarthy told reporters in the Capitol Tuesday morning. Now that a House speaker has been selected following a days-long stalemate and members have finally been sworn in, the chamber can look toward picking back up business and organizing GOP-led committees. Other hard-right holdouts who for days have refused to vote for Mr. McCarthy were Representatives Matt Gaetz of Florida, Lauren Boebert of Colorado and Andy Harris of Maryland.

McCarthy's departure had long been anticipated since his ouster, although his decision to leave before the end of the term will create fresh headaches for his party. Republicans have struggled to pass GOP appropriations bills this fall, and their slimmer majority next year could make it more difficult to pass GOP messaging bills or an impeachment resolution in a key election year. “It is now the responsibility of the GOP members to end the House Republican Civil War,” Jeffries said, announcing the Democratic leadership would vote for the motion to oust the speaker. Almost alone, Gaetz led his side of the floor debate, criticizing the debt deal McCarthy made with President Joe Biden and the vote to prevent a government shutdown, which conservatives opposed as they demanded steeper spending cuts. McCarthy told lawmakers in the evening he would not run again for speaker, putting the gavel up for grabs. Next steps are highly uncertain with no obvious successor to lead the House Republican majority.

And feelings of boredom, desperation and annoyance seemed increasingly evident on Thursday. In the 15th ballot which started in the waning minutes of January 6 and finished well after midnight, all of the remaining anti-McCarthy voters switched their choice to a “present” vote. He remains close to the many lawmakers he recruited and helped get in office and keeps in touch with a nationwide donor network built during years as one of the GOP’s top congressional strategists. "If this motion carries, the House will be paralyzed," McClintock said in remarks on the House floor. "We can expect week after week of fruitless ballots while no other business can be conducted."

Trump ally Mike Johnson elected House speaker three weeks after McCarthy ouster - CNN

Trump ally Mike Johnson elected House speaker three weeks after McCarthy ouster.

Posted: Wed, 25 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Republicans announced that they would wait until Monday to consider a package of rules for the chamber, which is expected to enshrine many of the compromises Mr. McCarthy made to win his post. Mr. Gaetz refused to budge, and Mr. McCarthy’s allies moved to adjourn the House until Monday, crestfallen after a defeat they had not anticipated. Republicans quickly switched their votes to oppose the adjournment and proceeded to a 15th speaker vote, which ended well after midnight.

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Mr. Biggs, who also eventually softened his opposition to Mr. McCarthy’s speakership bid enough to vote “present,” was involved in a range of organizational efforts in 2020, including meetings aimed at attracting protesters to Washington on Jan. 6, according to the House Jan. 6 committee. WASHINGTON — They helped lead the efforts to keep former President Donald J. Trump in power after he lost the 2020 election. They spread lies that helped ignite a mob of Trump supporters to storm the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

About two-thirds of that money was for Ukraine, an issue Greene had called her "red line" for moving against the speaker. The opposition to McCarthy has prompted a counteroffensive from other House GOP groups, which are becoming more vocal in their support for him — and more concerned about the fallout if the new Congress opens with an internal party fight. Even if McCarthy gives in to the demands of his party’s right flank, it’s not clear whether the faction will drop its opposition to his leadership. Freedom Caucus members and others want assurances that they can help draft legislation and amend bills during floor debates. And they want enforcement of the rule that requires bills to be presented for review 72 hours before a vote.

Garcia was officially sworn into office early Saturday morning alongside other House members. It is presently unclear when the ceremonial swearing in, at which Garcia will use the comic, will take place. "We actually interacted more this week than we have in the last four years. And if anything, that relationship-building is where it was at." Yet that style has appeared uniquely ill-suited to the challenge Mr. McCarthy faces of corralling a restive group of ideologically driven House Republicans that is obsessed with legislative details and skilled at procedural disruption. Not every Republican involved in blocking Mr. McCarthy’s ascension was among those who voted against certifying Mr. Biden’s victory.