East Arizona News

Arizona Rep. David Schweikert expresses his disappointment in the actions of his fellow Republican colleagues. In a historic move, Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy was removed from his position on Tuesday. This motion was initiated by Representative Matt Gaetz from Florida.

"The decision by eight Republicans to vote with the Democrats to oust Kevin McCarthy as Speaker was reckless and wrong," said Schweikert. "Whatever policy differences that may exist among Republicans, the solution should never be to empower the Left."

Fellow Republican Gaetz initiated the unprecedented motion, prompting the vote to remove McCarthy, marking an event that has not occurred in over a century. As a result, the House is now tasked with electing a new Speaker, with the vote anticipated to occur next week. The motion passed with a vote of 216 to 210, as eight Republicans sided with Democrats in favor of removing McCarthy from the speakership. McCarthy informed lawmakers that he would not seek re-election, currently leaving the position vacant, according to CNN.

The ousting has left room for speculation. McCarthy cites personal reasons and suggests Gaetz's action stems from his decision to not assist in "tamping down an ethics investigation". However, Gaetz claims that his move against McCarthy is linked to job performance. Others speculate that the decision could be related to providing funding for Ukraine. However, McCarthy clarified that "did not make a deal with the White House on supplemental aid for Ukraine". Furthermore, the 71-page short-term Continuing Resolution that was passed over the weekend to prevent a government shutdown, under the leadership of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, does not include provisions for new financial assistance to Ukraine, according to CNN.

On Tuesday, Republicans vying for the role of Speaker will present their case. Some of the reported Republicans who might be considering a run include House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan, Republican Study Committee Chairman Kevin Hern, and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, CNN reports.

"Conservatives Remove McCarthy as Speaker: Turns out there's very few in the House of Representatives that have a backbone: Rep. Andy Biggs, Rep. Tim Burchett, Rep. Ken Buck, Rep. Eli Crane, Rep. Matt Gaetz, Rep. Bob Good, Rep. Nancy Mace, and Rep. Rosendale," said Lou Dobbs, American conservative political commentator, in a post on the X platform. "It appears the rest of the 200+ Republicans wanted to let Speaker McCarthy continue his backroom deals with the Marxist Dems."