On October 3rd, the US made history by voting to remove Kevin McCarthy from his role as the Speaker of the House. From the beginning of his short term as House Speaker, McCarthy maintained a precarious position. He went through the arduous process of the record-making 15-vote, where legislators continuously reached an impasse unable to elect. However, in his short 269 days as the Speaker, he frustrated many conservative lawmakers due to his willingness to negotiate with Democrats on key issues, like federal spending, to avoid a government shutdown. The final vote to oust Speaker McCarthy was 216 to 210 in favor of removing McCarthy. After struggling for three weeks to find a substitute, the Republican majority House has selected Representative Mike Johnson of Louisiana as their 56th Speaker.
Although a few speakers have stepped down after losing support from their party, removing a speaker in the middle of a congressional term is unprecedented. McCarthy started his term on January 7th and ended on October 3rd, making his speakership the third shortest in history. The situation was tense and uncertain as the House navigated this uncharted territory.
In this political turmoil, a power struggle ensued within the Republican party, where several possible candidates emerged, including Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, and Rep. Kevin Hern of Oklahoma. However, the consequences extended far beyond the party’s dynamics. This situation impeded the House’s ability to function in its customary manner, hindering the process of getting any meaningful work done.
McCarthy needed 217 votes to win the majority from 434 representatives, one seat vacant due to the recent death of Virginia’s representative. On the 15th vote, the 14 Republicans who had voted against McCarthy either voted for him or voted present, lowering the majority threshold to 215. McCarthy was able to pull this off by negotiating with these dissidents.
Johnson, however, retained the votes of all 220 Republicans, surpassing the 215 votes required to win. Although a previously little-known lawmaker, Johnson was able to clinch the support of his fellow party members. In the coming term, something to note is that compared to McCarthy, Johnson leans farther to the right, being a staunch supporter of former president Trump.
Although this may seem like a distant topic to Chadwick students, it can have unexpected but strong implications in relation to immigration. Many Chadwick students look to apply to universities in the US and even settle there. The Speaker shapes the direction of the discussions and furthers legislative decisions. However, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, a non-profit legal advocacy organization, anti-immigrant groups rejoiced at Johnson’s election, stating, “No need to guess where he stands on immigration.”
Compared to McCarthy, who took a conservative but more moderate stance on immigration, Johnson is hard-lined against immigration. During his four terms in the House, Johnson has furthered his anti-immigrant agenda, aligning himself with former president Trump’s hard-right stances.
On the other hand, this can have three-dimensional consequences on US college admissions for Chadwick students. Johnson has been vocal against Affirmative Action, especially in the recent page-turning Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard University case. After the verdict, he commented on Twitter, “Today, the Supreme Court correctly decided that affirmative action programs lead to race-based discrimination. Merit and content of character are what should matter when applying to college, not skin color.”
As of today, numerous contentious issues, not only immigration and college admissions but also the conflict in the Middle East and Ukraine and the debate over abortion, persist as ongoing challenges for the US and its legislators. Chadwick students, especially those looking for US college admissions, should monitor closely how such political decisions will play out and their potential role in influencing our future.
