First time in history, Republican speaker Kevin McCarthy ousted from US house

New Delhi : On Tuesday, a faction of Republicans within the US House of Representatives removed Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy from his position. This is for the first time in history when a Republican speaker has been removed from his post in such a manner.

This internal party dispute caused Congress to descend into more disorder shortly after narrowly avoiding a government shutdown. The vote, with a tally of 216 to 210, represented a historic moment as it marked the first-ever removal of a House leader.

In the vote, eight Republicans joined forces with 208 Democrats to oust McCarthy. The leader of this rebellion was Representative Matt Gaetz, a far-right Republican from Florida, who had clashed with McCarthy and accused him of insufficient efforts to reduce federal spending.

This marked the most recent episode of intense political tension in a year where the Republican-led House pushed Washington to the verge of a potential default and a partial government shutdown.

With a slim majority of 221-212, Republicans are in control of the chamber, leaving them with very little room for error, as they can only afford to lose a maximum of five votes if Democrats stand united in opposition.