On January 7, 2023, Republican Congressman Kevin McCarthy of California was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives, after 15 rounds of voting. On the first 14 ballots, McCarthy was unable to secure the requisite majority due to several members of the House Freedom Caucus who refused to support his candidacy. Following days of horse-trading behind the scenes, McCarthy reportedly offered a variety of concessions including committee seats, commitments related to the debt ceiling and spending, and allowing a single member of the Republican caucus to initiate a House vote to remove the speaker (also known as a “motion to vacate”).

As a result, the current House rules allow any member to call for a vote to oust the speaker at any time. If the motion receives support of 218 members, Speaker McCarthy would be removed. The current composition of Congress is 222 Republicans and 212 Democrats, so a handful of disgruntled Republicans joining the full Democratic caucus in a vote to remove the Speaker would be successful.

This question will resolve positively if the Associated Press reports that the House has removed Speaker McCarthy via a successful motion to vacate or McCarthy ceases to be the Speaker for any other reason on or before March 31, 2023.