House GOP Discusses Changing Rule to Oust Speaker

Republicans are discussing changing House rules to prevent a single member from forcing a vote to oust the speaker, Politico reported.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was removed as speaker Oct. 3 when eight Republicans voted with all the Democrats. The vote came after Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., followed through on the rule that allows any member to file a motion to vacate the chair.

Now, at least half of the eight members who helped remove McCarthy say they are open to making it harder to oust a speaker, Politico reported Monday. The outlet, though, added that none of the eight have committed to changing the current rule.

Exactly what the number, in terms of members seeking to vacate the chair, would be is uncertain. Suggestions have ranged from more than 100 members to just seven, Politico reported.

There seems to be general agreement that one member alone should not be allowed to file a motion to vacate.

"It served its purpose. We got everybody’s attention, and they understand we mean business," Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., one of the eight anti-McCarthy GOPers, told Politico.

Burchett added that changing the rule isn’t "a beach I’m going to die on."

Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, suggested requiring the support of 112 members of either party to trigger a vote on removing the speaker, CBS News reported last week.

"After being paralyzed for three weeks, one thing is crystal clear: We cannot be beholden to the whims and personal grudges of a handful of people. Americans want us to work hard to advance commonsense, conservative policies, not play petty politics," Miller said in a statement. "Changing this rule is a simple step toward accomplishing that goal and keeping the House on track."

Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., another of the eight who voted to oust McCarthy, suggested a number such as seven.

"The motion to vacate threshold was never my cause in January," Biggs told Politico, adding that while it "needs to be reasonable and rational so it remains a real tool … maybe one is too little."

McCarthy’s successor, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has indicated that he believes Republicans will be able to change the rule on ousting a speaker.

Until then, Johnson said he’s not afraid of the current rule.

"Look, I'm not afraid of it because I'm going to openly work transparently and with every member and everyone will ... fully understand what we're doing and why, and I think that's a big part of it," Johnson told Fox News recently.

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