Republican Kevin McCarthy has been forced out as Speaker of the US House of Representatives after a vote by lawmakers.
Lawmakers debated the leadership challenge, and voted 216 to 210 to oust him.
McCarthy is the first Speaker in US history ever to be removed in this way after a motion to vacate
Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz filed a formal motion on Monday to eject him, after months of infighting between McCarthy and his party’s right wing.
All 208 Democrats present voted to remove McCarthy, along with eight Republicans. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has issued a statement on McCarthy’s ouster.
“President Biden has demonstrated that he is always eager to work with both parties in Congress in good faith on behalf of the American people. Because the urgent challenges facing our nation will not wait, he hopes the House will quickly elect a Speaker,” she said.
“Once the House has met their responsibility to elect a Speaker, he looks forward to working together with them and with the Senate to address the American peoples’ priorities.” Not one single Democrat voted to save McCarthy, as some had speculated they might. Their unified opposition spelled the former Speaker’s doom as eight Republicans defected.
Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the powerful Oversight committee, told reporters “it was one of the clearest choices we faced”.
“This was completely organic and grassroots,” he said. “I did not hear a single member… voice any inclination to have us vote for Kevin McCarthy for Speaker.”
They remained unified under their own party leader, Hakeem Jeffries.
Jeffries likely won’t be Speaker while the Republican party remains in the majority in the House, but would theoretically ascend to the speakership if Democrats retake the chamber in the next election. BBC