ETF Summary

Lawmakers voted Tuesday to oust embattled Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., as speaker of the House of Representatives.

Such a move is the first in time in U.S. history that the top member of the House has been removed from the job. Eight Republicans sided with every Democrat in a 216-210 vote.

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., introduced a measure against McCarthy known as a motion to vacate on Monday night, accusing him of breaking promises he made to win the speaker’s gavel in January. 

‘For the last eight months, Speaker McCarthy has been in breach of that agreement,’ Gaetz said Tuesday in a statement. ‘All of Speaker McCarthy’s failure theater resulted in him teaming up with Democrats to pass a continuing resolution that funds Ukraine, funds Jack Smith’s election interference against President Trump, abandons E-Verify, and does nothing to put the interests of the American people first.’

Here are the eight Republicans who broke with their party to oust McCarthy:

Rep. Andy Biggs, Arizona

During remarks on the House floor, Biggs said McCarthy’s passage of a budget resolution only further negatively impacted the national debt and immigration.

‘Until you leverage the budget and spending, you will not see enforcement by this administration,’ he said.

In a statement earlier, he said McCarthy had failed as an effective leader.

‘He has gone against many of the promises he made in January and can no longer be trusted at the helm,’ he wrote.

Rep. Ken Buck, Colorado

Buck said his vote stemmed from McCarthy’s fiscal moves he says has elevated the national debt.

‘We are $33 trillion in debt and on track to hit $50 trillion by 2030,’ he wrote on social media. ‘We cannot continue to fund the government by continuing resolutions and omnibus spending bills. That’s why I voted to oust @SpeakerMcCarthy. We must change course to sensible budgeting and save our country.’

In another statement, Buck said he initially supported McCarthy in January because he was in the best position to keep the GOP’s promises to the American people. 

‘It’s clear that we need a principled Speaker who can keep his word not just to members of Congress, but to the American people,’ he wrote. 

Rep. Tim Burchett, Tennessee

Burchett described McCarthy as a friend but that his vote to oust McCarthy was ‘a choice between that and my conscience.’

‘This was a tough decision. I voted for McCarthy for Speaker of the House back in January and I consider him a friend,’ he said in a statement. ‘However, I had to vote for what I think is best for the American people.’

‘We need leadership that will take real action to address our country’s serious financial crisis and steer us in a better direction, and we shouldn’t settle for anything less than that,’ he added.

Before the vote, Burchett said he was poised to remove McCarthy over the $33 trillion in debt, saying the House needed to change direction in leadership.

Rep. Eli Crane, Arizona  

Crane didn’t mention McCarthy by name but said after the vote that change was needed to overhaul the ‘ineffective and dishonest way’ Washington works.

‘I’m prepared to support a speaker who agrees,’ he said.

Earlier, he said Republicans have capitulated to Democrats to support their measures.

‘Each time our majority has had the chance to fight for bold, lasting change for the American people, leadership folded and passed measures with more Democrat support than Republican,’ he said.

Rep. Matt Gaetz, Florida

Gaetz led the effort to remove McCarthy, who he often criticized for negotiations over the debt ceiling and other measures. 

In an interview after the vote, he called the former speaker a ‘feature of the swamp.’

‘He has risen to power by collecting special interest money and redistributing that money in exchange for favors,’ he said. ‘We are breaking the fever now.’

In a social media post, Gaetz wrote, ‘The fight is not over. Now we must elect a Speaker.’

Rep. Bob Good, Virginia

Good cited this past weekend’s continuing resolution, which kept the government open, in his remarks.

‘The American people need a Speaker who will fight to keep the promises Republicans made to get the majority, not someone who cuts fiscally irresponsible deals that get more Democrat votes than Republican votes,’ he said in a statement.

Rep. Nancy Mace, South Carolina

Mace said McCarthy had not ‘lived up to his word’ on how the House would operate.

‘There has also been no action on many issues we care about and were promised,’ the South Carolina congresswoman wrote in a statement. ‘We were promised we would move on women’s issues and legislation to keep our communities safe. Those things never happened.’

‘I came here to take difficult votes and do the right thing, regardless of the pressure and regardless of the threats (bc there’s been plenty of both),’ she added. ‘Today I’m voting against 95 percent of my party in the hopes of fixing how Congress operates.’

She said as long as McCarthy remains as House speaker ‘this chaos will continue.’

Rep. Matt Rosendale, Montana

Rosendale accused McCarthy of working against the Republican Party and supporting ‘ploys to aid the left.’

‘This demonstration of failed leadership is exactly why I plan on supporting the motion to vacate this afternoon,’ he said in a statement.

Before the vote, he told Fox News in a statement that he planned to help oust McCarthy over him working with Democrats on the debt limit deal earlier this year, not negotiating with the Senate over the National Defense Authorization Act, and pushing a continuing resolution to avert a government shutdown over the weekend.

Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.

In his first appearance since being ousted from the House speakership, Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., told reporters Tuesday night that hard-line Republicans led by Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., ‘are not conservatives.’

‘They voted against one of the greatest cuts in history that Congress has ever voted for, $2 trillion. They voted against work requirements. They voted against NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) reform. They voted against border security. They don’t get to say they’re conservative because they’re angry, and they’re chaotic,’ McCarthy said.

His comments came just hours after Gaetz introduced a motion to vacate McCarthy — and succeeded — with the help of hard-liners in his own party and 208 House Democrat votes. McCarthy said he would not seek to be reelected as speaker.

Hard-line conservatives and Democrats voted in sync to seal the deal on Tuesday as the vote to vacate commenced after an hour of passionate debate with McCarthy’s supporters and dissenters.

Gaetz introduced a motion to vacate on Monday night, accusing McCarthy of breaking the promises he made to win the speaker’s gavel in January. Meanwhile, Democrats condemned his ‘lack of interest in bipartisanship’ while Republicans jabbed his apparent failure to pass a government spending patch with additional border security provisions and not enough budget cuts.

‘I made a decision as speaker to keep the government open, and I put something on the floor,’ McCarthy said.

McCarthy angered hard-liners over the weekend when he passed a short-term spending bill known as a continuing resolution (CR) to keep the government open for 45 days to avert a government shutdown and give lawmakers more time to cobble together 12 individual spending bills.

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., shocked McCarthy as she joined the seven other GOP lawmakers who voted to boot him.

‘Nancy Mace is a whole other story,’ McCarthy told reporters.

Democrats signaled early on Tuesday that they were not inclined to help McCarthy. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said before the vote, ‘Democrats are ready to find bipartisan common ground. Our extreme colleagues have shown no willingness to do the same. They must find a way to end the House Republican civil war.’

In January, it took 15 rounds of voting until McCarthy was elected as speaker.

Fox News’ Liz Elkind contributed to this report.

As Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., has been booted from his post as House speaker after a motion to vacate brought forth by hardliner Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Calif., an unlikely nominee has been suggested as next speaker: former President Donald Trump.

Texas Rep. Troy Nehls said in a statement Tuesday afternoon his first order of business when the House reconvenes ‘will be to nominate Donald J. Trump for Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.’

‘President Trump, the greatest President of my lifetime, has a proven record of putting America First and will make the House great again,’ he said.

Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., followed suit in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Tuesday evening: ‘@realDonaldTrump for Speaker.’

The next speaker does not have to be a current sitting member in the House, but every speaker in U.S. history has been.

It’s not the first time Trump has been floated as a nominee for speakership, either. In January, as McCarthy struggled to garner enough votes to secure his speakership, Gaetz cast a ballot for Trump.

In a gaggle with reporters on the Hill after the vote Tuesday, Gaetz said he’d support several members of Congress should they decide run for the post, including GOP Reps. Tom Emmer, Mike Johnson, Jodey Arrington, Kevin Hern, or Steve Scalise, none of whom voted to oust McCarthy.

House Financial Services chairman Rep. Patrick McHenry will serve as interim Speaker until a replacement for McCarthy is chosen. 

House rules dictated that McCarthy, upon his election as speaker in January, provide a secret list of members to succeed him as speaker pro tempore should the office be vacated as it was with his removal. It was revealed following the vote to oust McCarthy that McHenry was at the top of the list.

McHenry, a former media consultant and political operative, was first elected to the House to represent North Carolina’s 10th Congressional District in 2004. He was selected as the House Republican chief deputy whip in 2015 and served in the role until 2019. He was selected as chair of the House Financial Services Committee in January.

Eight Republicans sided with House Democrats on Tuesday to oust McCarthy from his role as speaker after a dramatic floor vote tallying each member’s vote by surname. 

An hour of debate was heard before members of Congress cast their votes. The vast majority of Republican lawmakers passionately spoke in favor and against McCarthy, and forced the anti-McCarthy group to speak from the Democratic side of the House floor.

McCarthy told reporters Tuesday evening he would not be running again for speakership.

Fox News’ Brandon Gillespie contributed to this report.

Todd and Julie Chrisley are teaching classes in prison to reduce their sentences, including finance classes, which their daughter Savannah called ‘ironic’ given their fraud convictions. 

‘We’re continuing to utilize the system as it’s presented to us,’ she explained on her ‘Unlocked’ podcast, adding that federal sentencing guidelines going into effect in February may further reduce their sentences retroactively. 

‘We’re extremely grateful for the First Step Act because Dad’s sentence was cut down by two years and Mom by a year,’ Savannah said. ‘They could get multiple years off their sentences … and for that I’m grateful.’

The Chrisleys’ prison education program is part of the First Step Act, passed by Congress in 2018 and signed by former President Donald Trump.

Todd was originally sentenced to 12 years and Julie was sentenced to seven after being indicted in August 2019 on bank fraud and tax evasion charges. They were also ordered to complete 16 months of probation following the end of their prison terms.

Julie was convicted on charges of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, tax fraud and conspiracy to defraud the United States. She was also hit with wire fraud and obstruction of justice charges. Todd was convicted of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, tax fraud and conspiracy to defraud the United States.

Prosecutors had claimed the Chrisleys had submitted fake documents to banks when applying for loans. Julie also allegedly submitted a false credit report and fake bank statements when trying to rent a house in California. Then, the couple allegedly refused to pay rent a few months after they started using the home.

Savannah, who now has custody of her underage brother Grayson and her niece Chloe, said her ‘overachiever’ mom has taught a real estate course, and her dad has taught a trauma course and a finance class, ‘which, how ironic.’ 

The Bureau of Prisons website says Todd will be released in January 2033, two years before his original sentence was to expire, and Julie is expected to be released in October 2028, a little more than a year less than her original sentence. 

Savannah also spoke out with allegations about her parents’ liviing conditions. 

‘Regardless of what you believe someone has or has not done, no one deserves to be living in conditions like mom and dad are living in because, sure they were given a 12- and seven-year sentence, but with the conditions they’re living in, they’re really being given a life sentence,’ she said. 

She alleged that her parents have been exposed to black mold, asbestos, lead-based paint and unclean drinking water. 

‘You literally have a life sentence because of the health conditions that you’re going to be suffering from,’ she explained. 

Savannah said her mom, a cancer survivor, has had a cough for months now. 

‘In these conditions, she’s living in you can’t help but wonder is this having an effect on her,’ Savannah said.

Federal Medical Center (FMC) Lexington in Kentucky, where Julie is serving her sentence, previously provided a statement to Fox News Digital with information about the general ‘conditions of confinement’ for any adult in custody (AIC).

‘The FBOP takes seriously our ability to protect and secure individuals in our custody while ensuring the safety of our employees and the surrounding community. We make every effort to create a controlled environment within our facilities that is both secure and humane, prioritizing the physical and emotional well-being of those in our care and custody,’ it said in part. 

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Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., was evicted from her private Capitol office by the new speaker pro-tempore.

Fox News Digital confirmed that House Speaker pro-tempore Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., gave the order to Pelosi to vacate her Capitol hideaway by Wednesday.

McHenry is a close ally to now-former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who was ousted from his role on Tuesday.

McHenry’s eviction order was one of the congressman’s first acts as the top House lawmaker.

Pelosi was notified of the eviction, first reported by Politico, in an email.

The email said the former speaker’s hideaway was being reassigned ‘for speaker office use.’

‘Please vacate the space tomorrow, the room will be re-keyed,’ the email read.

Pelosi moved out of her hideaway on Tuesday, with help from the staff of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., according to a spokesperson for the former speaker.

Capitol hideaways are a mainstay in the Senate, but are a luxury only afforded to a select few House members.

‘With all of the important decisions that the new Republican Leadership must address, which we are all eagerly awaiting, one of the first actions taken by the new Speaker Pro Tempore was to order me to immediately vacate my office in the Capitol,’ Pelosi said in a statement.

‘Sadly, because I am in California to mourn the loss of and pay tribute to my dear friend Dianne Feinstein, I am unable to retrieve my belongings at this time,’ the former speaker continued.

‘This eviction is a sharp departure from tradition,’ Pelosi said. ‘As Speaker, I gave former Speaker [Dennis] Hastert a significantly larger suite of offices for as long as he wished.’

The former speaker said office space doesn’t matter to her, ‘but it seems to be important to them.’

‘Now that the new Republican Leadership has settled this important matter, let’s hope they get back to work on what’s truly important for the American people,’ she concluded.

Pelosi’s eviction comes after McCarthy was ousted by his seat in a motion to vacate.

Eight House Republicans led by Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida voted with the entirety of the House Democrats to remove McCarthy from the speakership. Pelosi did not vote because since she was in California after accompanying the late Senator Feinstein’s remains for burial.