North Pima News

Arizona Rep. Jacqueline Parker criticized her fellow Republicans after the ousting of Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday. The motion to remove McCarthy from his position was initiated by Representative Matt Gaetz from Florida. Parker expressed her disappointment, stating, "I wish I could say the cowardly, uniparty Republicans were going to get on board with their job working for the people & NOT make a worse deal with Democrats now, but I know too many politicians…"

The removal of McCarthy marks a historic event that has not occurred in over a century. The motion passed with a vote of 216 to 210, as eight Republicans sided with Democrats in favor of removing McCarthy from the speakership. As a result, the House is now tasked with electing a new Speaker, with the vote anticipated to occur next week. McCarthy informed lawmakers that he would not seek re-election, leaving the position vacant.

The reasons behind McCarthy's ousting have led to speculation. McCarthy cites personal reasons and suggests that Gaetz's action stems from his decision to not assist in "tamping down an ethics investigation." Gaetz, on the other hand, claims that his move against McCarthy is linked to job performance. Some speculate that the decision could be related to providing funding for Ukraine. However, McCarthy clarified that no deal was made with the White House on supplemental aid for Ukraine.

On Tuesday, Republicans vying for the role of Speaker will present their case. Potential candidates include House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan, Republican Study Committee Chairman Kevin Hern, and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise.

The ousting of McCarthy has received both support and criticism. Lou Dobbs, an American conservative political commentator, expressed his disappointment, saying, "Conservatives Remove McCarthy as Speaker: Turns out there's very few in the House of Representatives that have a backbone." On the other hand, Rep. Parker voiced her agreement with the decision, stating, "I would have voted the same. Change needs to happen. Unfortunately, Democrats do what they're told & vote in a block & too many Republicans will sell out to that machine. The 200 uniparty R's need to stop screwing us over, or we will never have true victory."