To become
Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy was compelled to
change a rule, to enable a single lawmaker to move to oust him.
It was one of
many actions he took - over 15 consecutive rounds of voting in January - to win
the support of the hard-right of the Republican Party.
But in the end,
perhaps none of it was enough to appease some of his members.
Matt Gaetz, a
pugnacious Florida congressman, vowed on Sunday to trigger Mr McCarthy's
removal this week.
That was in
response to the Speaker securing Democratic support to pass an eleventh-hour
funding bill that narrowly averted a government shutdown.
The spending
measure left out additional funding for Ukraine because Mr Gaetz and other
hard-liners have insisted the US can no longer afford to fund its defence
against Russia.
But Mr Gaetz
alleged in a Monday speech that the Speaker had cut "a secret side
deal" with President Joe Biden and Democrats to bring new funding to a
vote in separate legislation soon.
The potential
move to remove Mr McCarthy is one that could throw an already unruly House into
even further disarray.
Though he could
not always be taken at his word, Mr McCarthy is still viewed as a moderate
lawmaker not drawn to the boundary-pushing tactics or sharp-elbowed positions
favoured by his most conservative members.
He also appears
to remain broadly supportive of more US funding for Ukraine in its war with
Russia, while many in his party have drifted away from such a commitment.
If the
California native is ousted, however, it is unclear who would take his place,
how his replacement might govern, and whether they will turn off the money tap
for Ukraine.
It has been a
difficult nine months in charge for Mr McCarthy, the great-grandson of an Irish
labourer who immigrated to the US in the 1860s.
The most
conservative lawmakers in his conference had argued from the start he would not
push hard enough to rein in spending or back their policy priorities.
Given that
Republicans control the House by a slim nine-seat majority, these members have
had an outsized sway over all proceedings.
During Mr
McCarthy's marathon bid for the speakership in January, Mr Gaetz, 41, was among
the handful of Republicans who repeatedly voted against him.
On the 15th and
final vote, while others flipped in support of Mr McCarthy, Mr Gaetz and five
others abstained by voting "present".
The bad blood
that has been simmering ever since boiled over this weekend, after many more
Democrats voted for the funding measure passed by the House.
On Monday, Mr
Gaetz questioned why statements from the Speaker and President Biden had
alluded to new Ukraine funding.
He demanded that
Mr McCarthy provide answers or face a motion to vacate "later this
week".
Matt Gaetz has opposed Mr McCarthy as Speaker since the beginning
Motions to
vacate are formal bids filed as a first step in removing a sitting Speaker. The
rare procedural tool has only been used twice in the past century and never
successfully.
It was last seen
in 2015 when Republicans sought to oust Speaker John Boehner. The motion failed
but built enough pressure on Mr Boehner that, unable to unite his caucus, he
announced his resignation two months later.
In order for Mr
Gaetz's motion to succeed, he will need at least five Republicans to back him
up - and there are some early indications he may have enough support.
The big X factor
now is whether or not Democrats will step in to help Mr McCarthy hold on to his
job.
Party leaders
have reportedly told members that, regardless of their decision, they must act
in unison.
Most Democrats
say publicly that they do not trust Mr McCarthy and have little interest in
bailing him out, unless they can extract some concessions from him.
"I don't
think we'd give up votes for free," New York lawmaker Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez told CNN on Sunday.
"Would I
vote to vacate? Absolutely," she added. "Kevin McCarthy is a very
weak Speaker. He has clearly lost control of his caucus."
Even if the vote
to oust Mr McCarthy fails, it is not a guarantee Mr Gaetz would immediately
give up.
Earlier this
month, he told reporters: "If we have to begin every single day in
Congress with the prayer, the pledge and the motion to vacate - then so be
it."
By Sam Cabral || BBC News, Washington
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