US: Vivek Ramaswamy says chaos 'not a bad thing' after House Speaker McCarthy's ouster

WASHINGTON DC: Following the ouster of US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday, Indian-American entrepreneur and Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has said that the resultant chaos is a positive thing, according to The Hill.

“The point of removing the House Speaker was to sow chaos. That’s what the critics of Matt Gaetz and everybody else is saying,” Ramaswamy said on Tuesday in a video message.

“And my advice to the people who voted to remove him should own it,” he added.

The mutiny, led by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), came days after McCarthy averted a government shutdown by putting a stopgap measure on the floor that garnered Democratic support — a move that infuriated hardline Republicans.

“But the real question to ask, to get to the bottom of it, is whether chaos is really such a bad thing? Admit it. There was no better plan of action for who’s going to fill that Speaker role. So was the point to sow chaos? Yes, it was. But the real question to ask, to get to the bottom of it, is whether chaos is really such a bad thing?” ,” Ramaswamy said further.

In the final 216-210 vote, seven Republicans joined Gaetz to unseat McCarthy. The following Republicans voted to oust McCarthy- Andy Biggs, Ken Buck, Tim Burchett, Eli Crane, Matt Gaetz, Bob Good, Nancy Mace and Matt Rosendale, The Hill reported. Every Democrat in the chamber also voted to boot McCarthy, refusing to help protect him from his unruly conference. McCarthy said he would give Democrats nothing if they were to vote to help him.

Republicans, according to Ramaswamy, a political outsider who ran his campaign on challenging the established order, have more pressing concerns than who will be the next Speaker. He asserted that the House GOP should concentrate on subjects Gaetz and his friends claimed McCarthy was weak on, including border security, the national debt, and security against China.

Republicans who opposed McCarthy claimed that the former speaker caved to Democratic pressure throughout the appropriations process, notably when he passed a bipartisan budget continuing resolution over the weekend that prevented a government shutdown, The Hill reported.

ALSO READ: Kevin McCarthy ousted as House Speaker in historic vote

As per CNN, the House now needs to elect a new Speaker, but there is no clear alternative who would have the support needed to win the gavel. McCarthy served as House Speaker for 269 days before being removed.

His tenure began on January 7, 2023, and lasted until Tuesday (US local time)– the second-shortest for a speaker in the country's history. The record for the shortest term is held by Rep. Michael C. Kerr of Indiana, who served as speaker for 257 days.

Kerr died in office of consumption on August 19, 1876, as per CNN.

Republican Representative Patrick McHenry of North Carolina will now temporarily lead the House of Representatives after the Speaker's position was vacated on Tuesday.