By James Bowes ‘24

For the first time in American history, one party had members agree with the opposing party to remove the Speaker of the House. Kevin McCarthy’s removal as Speaker of the House has caused yet another debate in America. Many citizens have strong opinions about why and how this happened.

The main reason McCarthy was disliked by his own party was the perception among Republicans that he did not do enough to support former President Donald Trump during the 2020 election and its aftermath. Some party members believed that McCarthy should have taken a more assertive stance in challenging the election results, and supporting Trump’s claims of election fraud.

Recently, McCarthy chose to work with Democrats to pass a bill that would avoid a government shutdown. Even though Democrats heavily disliked McCarthy, they decided it was the right thing to do for the country. Later, fellow members of the Republican Party found out and turned on McCarthy as well.

All 208 Democrats voted to remove McCarthy. Eight members of the Republican Party voted the same way, giving the House enough votes to be removed in a no-confidence vote.

Senior Julian Gamboa said, “Leadership in our country is failing us. The removal of McCarthy was needed, and I hope the next person who becomes the Speaker can do a better job of representing America.”

Opinions on McCarthy’s removal are divided. Some Republicans believe that it was a necessary step to restore strong and principled leadership to the party, while others saw it as a divisive move that could further fracture the party.

Senior Marc Perez said, “McCarthy seems he didn’t know what he was doing and made all other representatives dislike him. I think it was the right choice to vote him out.”

Kevin McCarthy’s removal as Speaker of the House was the result of a vote of no-confidence by his fellow Republicans due to concerns about his leadership and handling of key issues. The decision has sparked a debate within the party about its future direction and leadership.