Matt Gaetz

Removal of the speaker - Oct. 04, 2023 
Lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives voted 216 to 210 yesterday to remove Speaker Kevin McCarthy from his leadership position. 
The vote was instigated by a group (8 persons) of hard-line Republican Party members, and it was the first time in modern history of the House of Representatives that such a vote passed. 
The House speaker is next in line of succession for the presidency after the vice president.  
The effort to oust the speaker, led by Rep. Matt Gaetz, was incited by McCarthy’s reliance last weekend on Democrats to pass a temporary spending bill to keep the government open until mid-November. 
The rebellion prompted an extraordinary Republican-against-Republican debate on the House floor over McCarthy’s future before the final vote.  
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There is no clear replacement for McCarthy, and the vacancy essentially paralyzes the House until one is chosen, according to several procedural experts. 
The House and the Senate must pass appropriations bills to fund the federal government before mid-November or there will be a shutdown.  
;Background: In January, McCarthy made concessions to hard-line conservatives to get elected as speaker, allowing any member to move to vacate the position — virtually assuring that it would occur.   
;Related: The move by Gaetz has drawn attention to a long-running House ethics investigation against him involving allegations that he engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, among other accusations.
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* NYT: Gaetz ouster McCarthy … Oct. 4, 2023