Republicans planning to remove Nancy Pelosi from House Speaker’s chair via bombshell floor vote, says report
Republicans in Congress are reportedly "working to have House Speaker Nancy Pelosi removed from office." Politico on Thursday, September 17, cited multiple sources as saying that the members of the House Freedom Caucus are attempting to get Republican leadership to oust Pelosi from the House Speaker position.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, earlier this week, had unveiled a 'legislative plan' to remove Pelosi from the topmost position in Congress, probably suggesting winning more seats in the Congress. McCarthy called the Republicans' plan their 'Commitment to America'. The plan reportedly includes Republicans' priorities, including police funding and tax breaks. McCarthy in Capitol Hill on Tuesday, September 15, said: "Republicans helped build the greatest economy in a generation and the American way of life was thriving. We will do it again." Through their new legislative plan, Congressional Republicans also vowed to restore the country to the way it was before the coronavirus crisis hit the nation.
However, even before the votes, Pelosi can be 'made to' vacate her chair. The House Minority Leader is the only Republican member of the Congress who can bring a "motion to vacate the chair," in an effort to remove Pelosi from her position, the outlet, in its report, noted. McCarthy would be able to "force a floor vote on whether Pelosi can retain the speaker’s gavel," according to House rules. However, McCarthy has not reportedly decided whether he will support an effort to remove Pelosi from the Speaker position.
The Republican leader, while appearing on Fox News on Wednesday, September 16, said: "I don't think it's the best move at the moment. The best move is to win 218 seats, and that defeats Nancy Pelosi."
The report comes as House Democrats continue to vow to try again for another coronavirus relief bill after a Senate bill fell through last week. Congressional Democrats, on Monday, September 14, said that leadership would consider extending the legislative session into October if a new economic stimulus bill is approved. In the light of the recent developments, Democrats, according to the outlet, are "already privately warning that they could retaliate against McCarthy, potentially with a censure motion, formal reprimand, or even an ethics complaint." According to the presidential line of succession, the Speaker of the House is third in line to the presidency, after the vice president.
The development comes hours after Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer on September 16 said that they were encouraged by President Donald Trump’s tweet calling for Republicans to support “much higher numbers” in a new coronavirus relief package. The pair jointly released a statement, saying: "We look forward to hearing from the president’s negotiators that they will finally meet us halfway with a bill that is equal to the massive health and economic crises gripping our nation."
The House had approved a new coronavirus stimulus aid in May worth $3.4 trillion, however, Pelosi later dropped the aid demand by the Democrats to about $2.2 trillion. When asked if she would go down any lower with the amount during negotiation, the Speaker said on Thursday, September 17: "When we go into a negotiation it's about the allocation of the resources, but it's hard to see how we can go any lower when you only have greater needs."