Tuesday, April 29

In the news:

California Rep. Kevin McCarthy becomes first House speaker to be ousted


Pictured is California Representative Kevin McCarthy. McCarthy has become the first House Speaker to be voted out of the position in a 216-210 House of Representatives vote. (Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)


The United States House of Representatives voted to oust California Representative Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the House. 

In a 216-210 vote, Florida Representative Matt Gaetz successfully brought forth a motion to vacate the position of House speaker. The vote comes after a bipartisan spending bill that will temporarily fund government activities – such as federal funding for universities and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance program – was passed to avoid government shutdown Sunday. McCarthy is the first speaker to be voted out of the House successfully. 

[Related: Congress approved resolution, narrowly avoids government shutdown]

As chosen by McCarthy, North Carolina Representative Patrick McHenry will temporarily serve as speaker in McCarthy’s place, according to CBS. There is currently no permanent replacement in place for McCarthy, according to New York Times


Comments are supposed to create a forum for thoughtful, respectful community discussion. Please be nice. View our full comments policy here.