The removal of McCarthy as Speaker of the House has plunged Congress into an internal power struggle. It faces critical deadlines to avoid a government shutdown and approve aid to Ukraine, all before a divisive presidential election.

McCarthy lost his leadership position after hardline supporters within his party revolted against his compromise with Democrats to avert a government shutdown last weekend. Patrick McHenry assumed the interim presidency after a 216-210 vote while the House awaits the election of a permanent replacement. The House is set to hold presidential elections on October 11. The temporary funding measure that averted the shutdown only gave lawmakers until November 17 to propose a more lasting replacement solution.

The battle over spending has laid bare the deep divisions between loyal Republicans aligning with the Trump faction and more moderate members. This struggle has tormented McCarthy, as did his Republican predecessor, Paul Ryan. These divisions also contributed to disappointing election results for the Republican Party in 2018, 2020, and 2022.

The recent turmoil has fueled concerns about worsening dysfunction in Washington among investors and political leaders worldwide. Moody’s Investors Service, the only major credit rating agency that still rates the United States with a top credit score, warned in late September that its confidence in the country was wavering due to governance concerns.
As for who might try to replace McCarthy, Steve Scalise of Louisiana, who served as the House Majority Leader, appears to be the frontrunner. Republican lawmakers also mention Tom Emmer of Minnesota and Elise Stefanik of New York as potential candidates.

This week’s troubles are just the latest political upheaval for the Republicans. The current favourite for the party’s presidential nomination, Trump, was simultaneously in a New York courtroom facing a civil fraud case. Last week, the debate among his rivals for the nomination occasionally verged on chaos.

McCarthy struggled to secure the Speaker position in January, enduring 15 historic rounds of voting before taking the gavel, and only on the condition that any member could propose a motion to remove him from office at any time. During his nine-month tenure, McCarthy achieved significant victories. He crafted a bipartisan plan to cap debt, avoiding a historic default against the wishes of the same hardline supporters who ousted him on Tuesday. He also managed to avert a government shutdown that was nearly inevitable until he struck a deal with Democrats to pass it without funding Ukraine in its war against a Russian invasion.

Even Trump, who urged his supporters in Congress to default on American debt or allow the government to shut down if they didn’t get everything they wanted in a deal, wondered on social media Tuesday why Republicans were fighting amongst themselves. The former President of the United States has unleashed monsters he no longer controls and who have no political agenda other than to dismantle the institutions of a doubtful America.