Without the Democrats' intervention, Kevin McCarthy lost his position as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.

The historic vote

The close 216-210 vote marked the first time in the history of the U.S. House of Representatives that it removed its leader, with 8 Republicans voting and 208 Democrats unanimously removing McCarthy.

Kevin McCarthy has been removed from his position as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. Photo: NBC

The rebellion was led by Representative Matt Gaetz, a far-right Republican from Florida and an opponent of McCarthy. Gaetz accused his party leader of not doing enough to cut federal spending or to oppose Democratic President Joe Biden.

This is seen as the latest development in a year in which the Republican-controlled House of Representatives has pushed the U.S. government to the brink of default and nearly caused a partial shutdown.

The Republican Party controls the House of Representatives by a narrow margin of 221-212 seats, meaning they would need no more than five votes to oust McCarthy if the Democratic Party maintains its opposition stance.

And that's exactly what happened in the recent vote, regardless of McCarthy's significant contributions in working with Democratic President Joe Biden to prevent the US government from defaulting and shutting down in just a few months.

McCarthy's removal from office has essentially brought legislative activity in the House of Representatives to a standstill. It will further destabilize American politics, as federal governments will only have until November 17th to renew their budgets, or face another shutdown.

The White House said it hopes the House of Representatives will quickly elect a new Speaker, a position second only to the President and Vice President in the U.S. government. According to sources, McCarthy has no intention of seeking re-election.

Why didn't the Democratic Party save McCarthy?

Despite showing a willingness to negotiate with President Biden on federal financial issues, McCarthy has repeatedly angered Democrats in recent weeks, including by launching an impeachment inquiry against Biden.

The Democratic Party could have saved McCarthy, but after consideration, they said they would not break tradition by taking the opposite side, and would not help the Republican Party solve its own problems.

Therefore, McCarthy did not win any support from Democratic party members in the vote, although there had been speculation that some might vote for him to keep the House stable.

Democrats said they considered McCarthy untrustworthy after he broke a spending deal with Biden in May. Democratic Representative Pramila Jayapal told reporters before the vote, "Let them wallow in their incompetence."

Meanwhile, Republican Representative Nancy Mace told reporters that she voted to remove McCarthy from office because he had broken his promises to her about improving access to birth control and other issues. She said, "When you shake my hand and make a promise but don't keep it, you're going to suffer the consequences."

Other Republican leaders such as Steve Scalise and Tom Emmer could be candidates to replace McCarthy, although neither has publicly expressed interest. Currently, Patrick McHenry is being considered on an interim basis.

Huy Hoang (according to Reuters, Politico, NBC)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/dang-dan-chu-khong-ra-tay-cuu-giup-ong-kevin-mccarthy-mat-chuc-chu-tich-ha-vien-my-post267183.html