U.S. Congress headless after a first-in-history ouster of House Speaker
CBC
The United States Congress will remain headless until further notice, having decapitated its own leadership Tuesday in an unprecedented event in U.S. history.
The first-ever ouster of a sitting Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives likely means days of domestic disarray, and uncertainty abroad for U.S. allies, notably Ukraine.
The chamber now faces an urgent task to which all other issues will take a backseat, from passing a budget to funding Ukraine: that task is appointing a new leader for the body.
This is after Kevin McCarthy was turfed by eight members of his own party in a 216-210 ouster vote, where they sided with 208 Democrats.
This sets off an unpredictable scramble: After holding the job for just 269 days, McCarthy announced he will not run again when the chamber reconvenes to pick a new Speaker, probably next week.
A potential sign of the looming disorder came as two Republican lawmakers, one McCarthy defender and one critic, debated outside a party meeting in full view of news cameras.
"I don't know who'd want the job [now]," said Wisconsin Republican Derrick Van Orden, the McCarthy defender, suggesting the party is becoming ungovernable.
As Republicans spewed venom at each other, Democrats watched in silence.
Members of the opposition party sat crossing their arms, smiling, refusing to either participate in the debate or to lift a finger in McCarthy's defence.
The historic debacle punctuated a years-long battle between what some view as the Republican party's governing wing versus its cable-television self-promotional wing.
"It's disgusting," shouted one McCarthy defender, Republican Garret Graves of Louisiana, waving his phone, showing how his party's malcontents were raising money off their revolt.
"My phone keeps sending text messages. Saying, 'Hey, give me money!' Oh, look at that. 'Give me money — I've filed a motion to vacate." "It's disgusting. It's what's disgusting about Washington."
What lies ahead is anyone's guess. The end result could land the U.S. Congress in different spots on the political spectrum as members navigate this uncharted moment.
The wide range of potential outcomes spans from a harder-right replacement of McCarthy, to a moderate compromise where a Republican governs with help from some Democrats.
