Used with permission from USDA Forest Service photo by Tanya E. Flores

Kevin McCarthy has turned down the opportunity to run for Speaker of the House once more, even after getting the chance to, despite being voted out.

Despite his attempts to find common ground for both political parties, Kevin McCarthy was voted out of his position as Speaker of the House, marking the first time a speaker has been ousted in US history.

As Congress was unable to decide on a spending plan before the end of the fiscal year, McCarthy sought a compromise that would prevent any form of government shutdown. However, some Republicans saw this as him “siding with the enemy”.

“I think what occurred was that in the process of trying to accept the President’s budget, [McCarthy] worked with Democrats and he’s not a Democrat,” Adam Lazar, a government teacher, said. “We’re so polarized and so full of division, that people think, ‘how dare a Republican try to work with a Democrat.’”

While mostly Democrats voted out McCarthy, Florida Republican Matt Gaetz and seven other Republican lawmakers voted against McCarthy.

“I think a lot of Republicans viewed him as too moderate,” Lazar said. “Too much leaning towards the left, even though he is a Republican.

Before McCarthy was ousted from office, the house came to a continuing resolution, giving them 45 days to come to an agreement on the budget. Lazar believes that it is important for students to recognize how it will affect them.

“It’s important to you guys because you know, one of the budgetary items is education,” Lazar said. “I think it’s very relevant to what’s going on at this school. We get a lot of our funding from other sources, whether it be alumni or whatever the case may be, but still, education spending is important.”

With McCarthy gone, talks about who in the house will replace him are now in session. Currently, the position is temporarily being held by Rep. Patrick McHenry.

“I think again, they’ll probably try to find someone that is a little more centrist,” Lazar said. “But that doesn’t mean that he or she would be approved. They will have to go through a vetting process just like everybody else.”

However, with the voting season on the horizon, there is a possibility for change.

“The younger generation voting bloc is going to play a major role in the presidential election of 2024,” Lazar said. “If you’ve got a problem with the way things have been handled in Congress, go vote and vote them out; vote for someone else that will be a better representative of you.”