Attempting to oust the Speaker of the House offers short-term nothing for long-term discomfort
Josh Huder | September 17, 2020
Reports emerged yesterday of a plan among House Freedom Caucus (HFC) members to oust Speaker Pelosi via a “motion to vacate the chair.” This motion has been a more frequent political tool recently. In 2015, the HFC used it against Speaker Boehner and threatened to do so again against Speaker Ryan in 2018 as a discharge petition to extend Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) gained steam in the House.
After these somewhat wanton attempts, the House Problem Solvers Caucus proposed reforms to the motion, making it more difficult for rank-and-file members to move to vacate the chair on their own, which Pelosi—likely joyfully—agreed to. Now, in order for the motion to rise to privilege, House rules require that the Minority Leader himself must offer it. Accordingly, the HFC is currently lobbying Minority Leader McCarthy (R-Calif.) to take up their fight. More here
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