Senators Warn Bipartisan Vote to Oust McCarthy Makes Congress More Partisan

Congressman Kevin McCarthy lost his speakership in a bipartisan vote days after bringing forward a bipartisan agreement to keep the government running, a move that drew the ire of Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz of Florida, who initiated the "motion to vacate" process.

The irony of the situation was not lost on conservative commentators.

"After contending that McCarthy was wrong to use Democrat votes to assist in passing a short-term spending package," Fox News host Laura Ingraham said, "Gaetz and the seven other GOP members used 208 Democrats to oust McCarthy. So I guess it's okay when they do it?"

Beyond the ramifications of ousting a speaker and creating uncertainty in the House as Congress faces a November 17 shutdown deadline, the unprecedented move could have lasting implications on bipartisanship in Washington and the willingness of lawmakers to work across the aisle.

"It's an absolute shame in the United States that basically the political crime is working with the other side," Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia told Newsweek. "It's just unbelievable, unbelievable."

Manchin himself has faced criticism from his own party for his stated commitment to bipartisanship. The West Virginian refused to support removing the filibuster, which requires Senate legislation to pass with at least 60 votes, when Democrats wanted to nix the provision. He also fought for Republicans to have a say in the bipartisan infrastructure legislation. Manchin has since flirted with a third-party candidacy.

His Republican governing partner in West Virginia, Senator Shelley Moore Capito, a member of GOP Leader Mitch McConnell's leadership team who has also been a part of bipartisan deals, similarly warned the ousting of McCarthy could lay the groundwork for a more politically hostile environment in Washington.

"I think it's discouraging what's happening. I think the fact that eight Republicans joined all the Democrats to oust the speaker is a sad day," Capito told Newsweek. "Why is the other party determining who the speaker is? The minority party held the cards because they let them, so I don't think it bodes well for bipartisanship at all."

Capito said that because the McCarthy ousting was approved by just eight out of 221 Republicans siding with all the Democrats, it effectively disregarded the will of the majority party.

Unlike most bipartisan votes, the faction that voted to oust McCarthy was comprised largely of hard-right conservatives as opposed to centrist dealmakers. Those very individuals that Democrats sided with largely opposed compromising on the shutdown prevention deal.

Michigan Senator Gary Peters, a Democrat who has consistently ranked as one of the most effective dealmakers in the House, said that McCarthy's short-term funding deal was not the only reason members supported his ousting, but that the "behavior of the speaker over many months" also played a role.

The Republicans who voted alongside Gaetz alleged that McCarthy had violated promises he made to them in his quest to become speaker, which they said included a commitment to passing spending bills in a manner that avoided the need for any deal. Although McCarthy has rejected the notion he broke promises to these members, House Democrats share their perspective.

After striking a deal with President Joe Biden on future spending numbers as part of a bipartisan agreement to raise the debt ceiling to pay the nation's bills, McCarthy proposed spending numbers far below the top-line levels the two men had agreed upon.

Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries also issued a statement saying that McCarthy's decision to place hardline conservatives in positions of power on the rules committee factored into the decision by his caucus. He said this move impaired ability of the two parties to work together by "effectively giving them a veto over bipartisan legislative efforts."

In the end, McCarthy did not approach Democrats to ask for their support in retaining his speakership, saying in a CNBC interview that "they haven't asked for anything. I'm not going to provide anything."

While Democratic Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania does not support McCarthy, he said the current situation reflects poorly on the United States, and he noted the overall dysfunction on display within the House Republican Conference.

"It's an embarrassment to the world," Fetterman told Newsweek. "We're one DNA test away from The [Jerry] Springer show over there."