Kevin McCarthy has been ousted as the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, following a motion by Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports McCarthy was voted out of the seat in a historic moment on Tuesday.
This makes it the first time in the history of the U.S. that the Speaker of the House would be booted from the post, putting the chamber in unprecedented territory.
“The office of Speaker of the House of the United States House of Representatives is hereby declared vacant,” Rep. Steve Womack, who presided over the vote to oust McCarthy said, following the vote.
In a 45-minute roll call vote, the House moved to oust McCarthy as Speaker.
The final vote was 216 to 210 in favour of Gaetz’s motion to vacate, with eight Republicans joining Democrats.
TNG reports McCarthy was criticized for how he handled spending and budget fights since Republicans retook majority control of the chamber, with Gaetz claiming that the ousted Speaker can’t be trusted.
McCarthy’s defence of his record, including most recently in averting a partial federal government shutdown, was not enough to save his head.