By refusing to set aside the motion, the House now opens an extraordinary floor debate ahead of the next round of voting.
Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s ability to remain in leadership was thrown into serious risk Tuesday after the House voted to move ahead with an effort by hard-right Republican critics to oust him.
The narrow outcome forced by McCarthy’s chief rival, Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, brought together a handful of conservative Republican critics of the speaker and many Democrats who said he was unworthy of leadership. The vote was 208-218 not to table the motion, with 11 Republicans allowing it to advance.
By refusing to set aside the motion, the House now opens an extraordinary floor debate ahead of the next round of voting.
It’s a stunning moment for the embattled McCarthy that serves as the most severe challenge yet, a potential punishment sparked by his weekend decision to work with Democrats to keep the federal government open rather than risk a shutdown.
The Republican McCarthy’s fate is deeply uncertain as he faces what’s known as a “motion to vacate” from Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, a strident critic allied with Donald Trump. It would take the support of only a handful of Republicans from his slim majority to remove McCarthy as speaker if Democrats vote in favour alongside the conservative rebels.
“If I counted how many times someone wanted to knock me out, I would have been gone a long time ago,” McCarthy said at the Capitol after a private morning meeting.
At the Capitol, both Republicans and Democrats met privately behind closed doors ahead of what would be a historic afternoon vote.
McCarthy received three standing ovations during the private meeting – one when he came to the microphone to speak, again during his remarks and lastly when he was done, according to a Republican at the meeting and granted anonymity to discuss it.
At one point, there was a show of hands in support of McCarthy and it was “overwhelming,” said Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., a member of the House Freedom Caucus.
Gaetz was in attendance, but he did not address the room.
On the other side of the Capitol, Democrats lined up for a long discussion and unified around one common point: McCarthy cannot be trusted, several lawmakers in the room said.
The vote ahead will likely involve a motion to table the Gaetz proposal, which means that lawmakers would be voting to set it aside for now.
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By refusing to set aside the motion, the House now opens an extraordinary floor debate ahead of the next round of voting.
ADVERTISEMENTSpeaker Kevin McCarthy’s ability to remain in leadership was thrown into serious risk Tuesday after the House voted to move ahead with an effort by hard-right Republican critics to oust him.
The narrow outcome forced by McCarthy’s chief rival, Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, brought together a handful of conservative Republican critics of the speaker and many Democrats who said he was unworthy of leadership. The vote was 208-218 not to table the motion, with 11 Republicans allowing it to advance.
By refusing to set aside the motion, the House now opens an extraordinary floor debate ahead of the next round of voting.
It’s a stunning moment for the embattled McCarthy that serves as the most severe challenge yet, a potential punishment sparked by his weekend decision to work with Democrats to keep the federal government open rather than risk a shutdown.
The Republican McCarthy’s fate is deeply uncertain as he faces what’s known as a “motion to vacate” from Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, a strident critic allied with Donald Trump. It would take the support of only a handful of Republicans from his slim majority to remove McCarthy as speaker if Democrats vote in favour alongside the conservative rebels.
“If I counted how many times someone wanted to knock me out, I would have been gone a long time ago,” McCarthy said at the Capitol after a private morning meeting.
At the Capitol, both Republicans and Democrats met privately behind closed doors ahead of what would be a historic afternoon vote.
McCarthy received three standing ovations during the private meeting – one when he came to the microphone to speak, again during his remarks and lastly when he was done, according to a Republican at the meeting and granted anonymity to discuss it.
At one point, there was a show of hands in support of McCarthy and it was “overwhelming,” said Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., a member of the House Freedom Caucus.
Gaetz was in attendance, but he did not address the room.
On the other side of the Capitol, Democrats lined up for a long discussion and unified around one common point: McCarthy cannot be trusted, several lawmakers in the room said.
The vote ahead will likely involve a motion to table the Gaetz proposal, which means that lawmakers would be voting to set it aside for now.
