Rep. Morelle votes to oust McCarthy as speaker; Rep. Tenney votes to keep
Rep. Joe Morelle was among the Democrats who voted with eight Republicans to vacate the House speaker position. (Photo: WHEC via Zoom)
WASHINGTON — Rep. Joe Morelle was among the House Democrats who voted to oust Kevin McCarthy as speaker on Tuesday.
The 216-210 vote made McCarthy the first speaker of the house in history to be removed from office after less than nine months on the job. House Republicans will now need to nominate a new speaker.
Morelle, whose district represents the Rochester area, described the vote as both sad and historic and said we’re in the middle of a civil war between two parts of the Republican Party. He cited extremism in the Republican Party as the reason for Tuesday’s outcome.
“I think the extremism was largely brought on by the presidency of Donald Trump and continues to this day. Attacks on law and order, attacks on the rule of law, the willingness to just act out and be irresponsible and to engage in some of the worst kind of behavior, I think that’s taken root now.” Morelle said.
Other local House members, Republicans Claudia Tenney and Nick Langworthy, voted against ousting McCarthy. Tenney – whose district represents Wayne, Ontario, Livingston, Genesee, Wyoming, Yates, and Orleans counties among others – released this statement about the vote:
“The American people are fed up with political gamesmanship and dysfunction in Washington. Sadly, a small group of Republicans teamed up with the Democrats to plunge our conference into a leadership race and sideline our effort to pass conservative appropriations bills.”
“Instead of working together to pass spending cuts, gain operational control of our borders, rein in Biden’s bloated bureaucracy, and hold the corrupt Biden family accountable through oversight functions, Republicans will remain divided amid important negotiations with Biden and Schumer. Speaker McCarthy’s magnanimous and courageous decision to step aside gives Republicans one last chance to unify, come together, elect a speaker, and deliver conservatives wins for the American people.”
A resolution — titled a motion to vacate — from Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., passed Tuesday with the support of eight Republicans and all the Democrats who were present and voting.
