The sacking of Kevin McCarthy will make supporting Ukraine harder
Kevin McCarthy’s tenure as speaker of America’s House of Representatives concluded in a manner that mirrored its beginning: in a thoroughly humiliating fashion. On October 3rd, members of the lower chamber of Congress removed their leader for the first time in American history. Despite receiving support from 210 out of the 221 House Republicans, eight hardliners joined forces with 208 Democrats to oust Mr. McCarthy. Shortly thereafter, the former speaker announced his decision not to seek the title again. The upcoming weeks are expected to be chaotic, and the consequences of this chapter of congressional dysfunction will extend far beyond Capitol Hill.
An embarrassing removal seemed inevitable as soon as Mr. McCarthy assumed the role of speaker in January. As part of an agreement with resistant Republicans after 15 rounds of voting, Mr. McCarthy consented to allow any congressman, at any time, and for any reason, to call for a vote on his removal. Matt Gaetz, a flamboyantly styled representative from Florida, had been threatening to initiate the so-called motion to vacate for some time. The former speaker’s recent collaboration with Democrats to avert a government shutdown pushed him over the edge.
Despite his flaws, Mr. McCarthy managed to overcome narrow margins during his time in office. In June, he successfully raised the debt ceiling to avoid an unnecessary default. Then, on September 30th, he swiftly secured a bipartisan agreement to postpone a costly government shutdown. The next speaker may find the job even more challenging, even without the same baggage that some unruly members of the Republican party believed Mr. McCarthy carried.
2023-10-03 22:48:53
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