Current:Home > StocksRep. Matt Gaetz files resolution to oust Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the House -Thrive Capital Insights
Rep. Matt Gaetz files resolution to oust Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the House
View
Date:2025-04-18 03:55:51
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz filed a resolution late Monday to oust Kevin McCarthy as speaker, setting up a likely showdown vote in the House in the days ahead.
The far-right Republican from Florida has for months threatened to use the procedural tool — called a motion to vacate — to try to strip McCarthy of his office. Those threats escalated over the weekend after McCarthy relied on Democrats to provide the necessary votes to fund the government.
In an earlier speech on the House floor, Gaetz demanded McCarthy disclose the details of a supposed deal the speaker made with the White House to bring forward legislation to help fund the war in Ukraine during funding negotiations.
“It is becoming increasingly clear who the speaker of the House already works for and it’s not the Republican Conference,” Gaetz said in his speech, hours before he filed the resolution.
Brushing off the threat, McCarthy told reporters earlier at the Capitol, “I’m focused on doing the work that has to be done.” He added that there was “no side deal” on Ukraine, noting he has not spoken to Biden.
A motion to vacate is a rare and strong procedural tool that has only been used twice in the past century against Republican speakers. But in recent years, conservatives have wielded the motion as a weapon against their leaders.
In January, McCarthy, hoping to appease some on the hard right like Gaetz as he fought to gain their vote for speaker, agreed to give as few as five Republican members the ability to initiate a vote to remove him. But when that wasn’t good enough for his critics, he agreed to reduce that threshold to one — the system that historically has been the norm.
That decision has set McCarthy up for the ultimate test of his leadership as he will now have to rely on Democrats to withhold their support for any effort to force his removal.
The motion Gaetz introduced is a privileged resolution, a designation that gives it priority over other measures. The next step is for House leaders to schedule a vote on the resolution within two legislative days.
However, there are several procedural motions that members of either party could introduce to slow down or stop the process altogether. If those tactics were to fail, and his resolution came to the floor for a vote, it would take a simple majority of the House — 218 votes, when no seats are vacant — to remove McCarthy from his post.
veryGood! (16)
Related
- Small twin
- Kelly Clarkson mistakes her song for a Christina Aguilera hit in a game with Anne Hathaway
- Court case over fatal car crash raises issues of mental health and criminal liability
- The Book Report: Washington Post critic Ron Charles (April 28)
- Tony Hawk drops in on Paris skateboarding and pushes for more styles of sport in LA 2028
- Montana man gets 2 1/2 years in prison for leaving threatening voicemails for Senator Jon Tester
- Why Maria Georgas Walked Away From Being the Next Bachelorette
- Kentucky Derby's legendary races never get old: seven to watch again and again
- NHL in ASL returns, delivering American Sign Language analysis for Deaf community at Winter Classic
- Employer of visiting nurse who was killed didn’t protect her and should be fined, safety agency says
Ranking
- How breaking emerged from battles in the burning Bronx to the Paris Olympics stage
- No criminal charges after 4 newborn bodies found in a freezer
- Charges revealed against former Trump chief of staff in Arizona fake elector case
- Florida Says No to Federal Funding Aimed at Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- Audit: California risked millions in homelessness funds due to poor anti-fraud protections
- Why Jon Bon Jovi Admits He “Got Away With Murder” While Married to Wife Dorothea Bongiovi
- Sad ending for great-horned owl nest in flower pot on Wisconsin couple's balcony
- News organizations have trust issues as they gear up to cover another election, a poll finds
Recommendation
Tropical rains flood homes in an inland Georgia neighborhood for the second time since 2016
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, All Kid-ding Aside
Jason Kelce Details Why Potential Next Career Move Serves as the Right Fit
Wisconsin school district says person it called active shooter ‘neutralized’ outside middle school
Plunge Into These Olympic Artistic Swimmers’ Hair and Makeup Secrets
Testimony ends in a trial over New Hampshire’s accountability for youth center abuse
Ex-Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel has been threatened with jail time in his divorce case
Marcus Outzen dies: Former Florida State quarterback started national title game