On Tuesday, Scripps News Spoke with California Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff following the ouster of Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House.
The motion to remove House Speaker Kevin McCarthy from his position passed on Tuesday by a vote of 216 to 210.
"I think the fundamental problem is [McCarthy] never really enjoyed the trust of his own members," Schiff told Scripps News. "He certainly didn't enjoy the trust of Democrats. But I think all the members kind of felt that he didn't really stand for anything, that there was no real substance there, no policy agenda. It was just about Kevin McCarthy trying to remain speaker another day, or another week. And that is a hard philosophy of governance."
"I think it was the right decision today for the House of Representatives and for the country," Schiff said.
House votes to remove Kevin McCarthy as speaker
Immediately following the vote to remove McCarthy, Patrick McHenry of North Carolina was named speaker pro tempore.
Immediately following the vote to remove McCarthy, Patrick McHenry of North Carolina was named speaker pro tempore until the election of the new Speaker.
"I will not run for Speaker again," McCarthy said in a conference after his ouster on Tuesday. "I'll have the conference pick somebody else."
McCarthy's decision not to run again puts the longer-term future of the speakership in uncertain territory. There is no obvious successor for McCarthy's post.
"This is an internal Republican Party fight," Schiff said. "They need to get their act together, because we need to be able to govern."
"Hopefully Republicans will pick a more capable speaker, someone whose word means something, that can at least command the respect of their conference and maybe earn the trust of Democrats, to be able to function and deliver for the American people."
