UPDATE
4:20 PM PT — The House of Representatives is closing up shop for a week. Rep. Matt Gaetz says Speaker pro tem Rep. Patrick McHenry told members of Congress to go home until next Tuesday, when anyone who wants to become Speaker can state their case … and then a vote could happen on Wednesday.
UPDATE
So, it will be at least a full week before we have a new Speaker of the House. Keep in mind, that elected official is normally third in line to the Presidency, after the VP. As it stands, Sen. Patty Murray, the President pro tem of the Senate becomes third in succession … until there’s a new Speaker.
Rep. Kevin McCarthy just got booted from his role as Speaker of the House of Representatives … after losing a historic vote 216 to 210.
The House voted to ditch the CA Republican from the leadership position Tuesday in D.C. … with 8 Republicans siding with Democrats and Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz‘s call to kick him out.
This marks the first time in history a speaker has been ousted from their post in the middle of their term. It’s also the first time the House took the floor for a vote that challenged the Speaker since 1910.
One person who was absent from Tuesday’s voting was former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi … who was in San Francisco mourning the death of former Senator Dianne Feinstein.
The House vote came after Gaetz filed the motion to have McCarthy removed as Speaker.
Of course, Gaetz has been threatening to bring the hammer down for a while, because he was upset with McCarthy for working with the Dems to avoid a government shutdown.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Democrats will “continue to put people over politics. We are ready to find bipartisan common ground.”
Gaetz spoke out before the crucial vote, saying, “Chaos is Speaker McCarthy. Chaos is somebody who we cannot trust with their word.”
Allies of McCarthy, like Rep. Tom Emmer, told his colleagues, “Now it’s time to stand together stronger than ever so we can get back to the work our majority was elected to do. I’m proud to support the speaker.”
For the time being, Rep. Patrick McHenry, a Republican from NC, takes over as Speaker Pro Tempore.
McHenry was on the list of Congress members McCarthy was required to provide in the case of his vacancy. It’s unclear when House members will vote on a new Speaker, or if McCarthy will attempt another run at it.