Kevin McCarthy floats concession on allowing conservatives to remove House speakerFox News, Dec 30, 2022
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is floating a last-minute deal to bring conservative holdouts in line and clinch the speakership.
The embattled California Republican is offering a congressional rule change that would make it easier to remove a House speaker in exchange for his ascension to the post. McCarthy's offer would lower the threshold required for a motion to vacate the chair — a parliamentary gambit that forces a vote on retaining the speaker.
Currently, because of a rules change pushed through by Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi, only a member of the House leadership can offer a motion to vacate. Conservative House Republicans are pushing for that standard to be repealed, allowing any one member to force a vote on the speaker at any time.
"Every member of Congress was elected to legislate on behalf of their constituents," said Rep. Andy Biggs, an Arizona Republican who is running against McCarthy for speaker. "To do that, members must be able to hold their own leadership accountable."
Allowing members to offer a motion to vacate the chair is seen as an insurance policy by hard-line Republicans. Many fear that once entrusted with the speaker's gavel, McCarthy will refuse to threaten a partial government shutdown in an effort to get President Biden to make concessions on policy.
"While difficult in practice, it is an important mechanism to restore trust and provide accountability," said Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas.
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