The United States Capitol.
Oct. 3, 2023 by David Silverberg
For the first time in American history, the Speaker of the House of Representatives has been ousted from his position by the members of Congress.
The vote this afternoon was 216 to 210, with 210 Republicans voting to keep him and 208 Democrats voting against him. Eight Republicans voted against him. Three Republicans and four Democrats did not vote, otherwise the party blocs remained solid.
Southwest Florida’s congressional delegation, Reps. Byron Donalds (R-19-Fla.), Greg Steube (R-17-Fla.) and Mario Diaz-Balart (R-26-Fla.), all voted to keep McCarthy, which meant voting “nay” on House Resolution 757, which stated that the Speaker’s position was vacant.
In the immediate wake of the vote, only Diaz-Balart issued a statement on his vote. He blamed the ouster on “radical left socialist” members.
“A small group of members in coordination with the radical left socialist squad are attempting to derail the conservative GOP agenda,” he stated on X, formerly Twitter. “Over the last 9 months, Speaker McCarthy has demonstrated his ability to unite the GOP, kept his promise to pass the strongest border security bill, and pushed back against the Biden Administration’s wasteful spending, regulatory overreach and woke agenda. I refuse to vote with the socialists in the squad to remove the Speaker chosen by GOP members.”
The vote was engineered by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-1-Fla.) who launched the effort because of McCarthy’s willingness to compromise with the White House and Democrats on a number of issues.
The Speaker’s gavel now passes to the President Pro Tempore of the House designated by McCarthy, which is Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-10-NC). He will preside until a new Speaker is elected.
Liberty lives in light
© 2023 by David Silverberg