US Speaker Kevin McCarthy's position is in jeopardy

A floor vote would require a simple majority of the House to remove the Speaker

Kevin McCarthy


A motion was filed by Republican member Matt Gaetz to remove the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy from office.


Note that no US speaker has ever been ousted by such a motion to date.


Kevin McCarthy is currently fighting for his political life after a right-wing MP tabled a rare motion to oust him, according to foreign media reports.


Responding to Gaetz's move, McCarthy wrote in a message on social media, "Bring it on," to which Gaetz replied, "What now."


Tensions between the two Republicans have risen over the weekend after the speaker approved a bill to fund government agencies with the help of Democrats. Saturday's deal leaves $6 billion in funding for Ukraine as Gaetz and other ultra-conservatives insist the US has spent too much on Kiev's war with Russia.


A simple majority of the House, consisting of 218 votes, will be required to remove the Speaker in a floor vote, but no seats are vacant.


Republicans control the chamber by a narrow 221-212 majority, but only a handful of hard-line Republicans have indicated they are willing to oust McCarthy.



In a speech on the House floor Monday, Gaetz accused McCarthy of making a secret deal with the White House to include new Ukraine funding in separate legislation, while McCarthy said "no side on Ukraine." Not a deal."


After introducing the motion against McCarthy, Gaetz told reporters that "I have a lot of Republicans with me and it will be one of two next week."

Matt Gaetz Press talk

Kevin McCarthy will either not be elected as Speaker of the House or he will be appointed by the Democrats to fill the position, and I accept either outcome because The American people have a right to know who is in charge, he said. 



Gaetz said he would support Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, who is currently McCarthy's deputy, to replace the speaker.


According to the rules of the chamber, the Speaker is required to keep a list of persons who can act as temporary substitutes in case of a vacancy.


If McCarthy is ousted by a vote, the list will be made public and the person at the top will be named speaker until a new leader of the majority party in the chamber is elected. Elections are not held.


This rare method of removing American speakers has only been used twice in the past century, and never successfully.


It was last used against Speaker John Boehner in 2015, when a motion to oust him failed but put enough pressure on him that he announced his resignation two months later.

The procedure was last used before this in 1910.