Lawmakers voted Tuesday to oust embattled Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., as speaker of the House of Representatives.
Such a move is the first in time in U.S. history that the top member of the House has been removed from the job. Eight Republicans sided with every Democrat in a 216-210 vote.
Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., introduced a measure against McCarthy known as a motion to vacate on Monday night, accusing him of breaking promises he made to win the speaker’s gavel in January.
“For the last eight months, Speaker McCarthy has been in breach of that agreement,” Gaetz said Tuesday in a statement. “All of Speaker McCarthy’s failure theater resulted in him teaming up with Democrats to pass a continuing resolution that funds Ukraine, funds Jack Smith’s election interference against President Trump, abandons E-Verify, and does nothing to put the interests of the American people first.”
Here are the eight Republicans who broke with their party to oust McCarthy:
Rep. Andy Biggs, Arizona
During remarks on the House floor, Biggs said McCarthy’s passage of a budget resolution only further negatively impacted the national debt and immigration.
“Until you leverage the budget and spending, you will not see enforcement by this administration,” he said.
In a statement earlier, he said McCarthy had failed as an effective leader.
“He has gone against many of the promises he made in January and can no longer be trusted at the helm,” he wrote.
Rep. Ken Buck, Colorado
Buck said his vote stemmed from McCarthy’s fiscal moves he says has elevated the national debt.
“We are $33 trillion in debt and on track to hit $50 trillion by 2030,” he wrote on social media. “We cannot continue to fund the government by continuing resolutions and omnibus spending bills. That’s why I voted to oust @SpeakerMcCarthy. We must change course to sensible budgeting and save our country.”
In another statement, Buck said he initially supported McCarthy in January because he was in the best position to keep the GOP’s promises to the American people.
“It’s clear that we need a principled Speaker who can keep his word not just to members of Congress, but to the American people,” he wrote.
Rep. Tim Burchett, Tennessee
Burchett described McCarthy as a friend but that his vote to oust McCarthy was “a choice between that and my conscience.”
“This was a tough decision. I voted for McCarthy for Speaker of the House back in January and I consider him a friend,” he said in a statement. “However, I had to vote for what I think is best for the American people.”
“We need leadership that will take real action to address our country’s serious financial crisis and steer us in a better direction, and we shouldn’t settle for anything less than that,” he added.
Before the vote, Burchett said he was poised to remove McCarthy over the $33 trillion in debt, saying the House needed to change direction in leadership.
Rep. Eli Crane, Arizona
Crane didn’t mention McCarthy by name but said after the vote that change was needed to overhaul the “ineffective and dishonest way” Washington works.
“I’m prepared to support a speaker who agrees,” he said.
Earlier, he said Republicans have capitulated to Democrats to support their measures.
“Each time our majority has had the chance to fight for bold, lasting change for the American people, leadership folded and passed measures with more Democrat support than Republican,” he said.
Rep. Matt Gaetz, Florida
Gaetz led the effort to remove McCarthy, who he often criticized for negotiations over the debt ceiling and other measures.
In an interview after the vote, he called the former speaker a “feature of the swamp.”
“He has risen to power by collecting special interest money and redistributing that money in exchange for favors,” he said. “We are breaking the fever now.”
In a social media post, Gaetz wrote, “The fight is not over. Now we must elect a Speaker.”
Rep. Bob Good, Virginia
Good cited this past weekend’s continuing resolution, which kept the government open, in his remarks.
“The American people need a Speaker who will fight to keep the promises Republicans made to get the majority, not someone who cuts fiscally irresponsible deals that get more Democrat votes than Republican votes,” he said in a statement.
Rep. Nancy Mace, South Carolina
Mace said McCarthy had not “lived up to his word” on how the House would operate.
“There has also been no action on many issues we care about and were promised,” the South Carolina congresswoman wrote in a statement. “We were promised we would move on women’s issues and legislation to keep our communities safe. Those things never happened.”
“I came here to take difficult votes and do the right thing, regardless of the pressure and regardless of the threats (bc there’s been plenty of both),” she added. “Today I’m voting against 95 percent of my party in the hopes of fixing how Congress operates.”
She said as long as McCarthy remains as House speaker “this chaos will continue.”
Rep. Matt Rosendale, Montana
Rosendale accused McCarthy of working against the Republican Party and supporting “ploys to aid the left.”
“This demonstration of failed leadership is exactly why I plan on supporting the motion to vacate this afternoon,” he said in a statement.
Before the vote, he told Fox News in a statement that he planned to help oust McCarthy over him working with Democrats on the debt limit deal earlier this year, not negotiating with the Senate over the National Defense Authorization Act, and pushing a continuing resolution to avert a government shutdown over the weekend.
The problem with this whole thing is it gives the people who do not like Republicans the ammunition to say and act against us. They do not need any help. I think this action was bad for our Country.
These eight should not call themselves Republicans anymore!! They sided with Democrats to oust one of their own!! I consider them to be RINOs at the very least and traitors to their party! Democrats don’t have to cheat when they have Republicans like these!!! I’m not a Republican but I’m ashamed and offended the way Gaetz and these 8 did this!!