‘Messy’ House makes history chaotically
WASHINGTON — The House is making history this year in ways that Republicans hardly could have envisioned when the party took control.
First, the Republicans voted to oust their speaker, Rep. Kevin McCarthy, in October. On Friday, they voted to get rid of one of their own, indicted Rep. George Santos of New York.
Never before had a House majority voted to evict its speaker, and not since the Civil War had the chamber voted to expel a member who was charged but not yet convicted of a crime.
The result has been a dizzying 11 months in a House majority riven by infighting, chiseling away at the powers of Congress and taking its toll on the actual business of governing.
As the year comes to a close, the arc of power for House Republicans is at an inflection point, a new era of performance politics and chaotic governing that shows no signs of easing.
“Is it messy? Yeah, sure,” said Republican Rep. Mike Lawler, among the New Yorkers who led the ouster of Santos. “But when you’re actually governing in a democratic republic, it can be messy.”
In many ways, Santos is a product and practitioner of a new way of governing, a system that rewards big personalities who rise to prominence with charismatic if often extreme public personas rather than the quieter work that governs the nation.
Instead of shying from the exposure, Santos, who is accused of fabricating much of his life story, embraced his moment in history, another segment of his celebrity run in Congress.
His quick ascent in politics as an outsider modeled partly after Donald Trump is reflective of this postmodern political era, and the power of a single lawmaker to become famous for being famous.
His swift downfall shows the GOP’s willingness to turn on its own, particularly when it is politically expedient, even at the risk of losing another dependable vote from their slim majority that now teeters amid retirements.
But Republicans split over ousting Santos just as they did earlier in October over the removal of McCarthy, R-Calif., as speaker, after he engineered passage of legislation with Democrats that averted a government shutdown.
“One was a mistake and one was righteous and necessary,” said Rep. Nick LaLota, R-N.Y., about the two votes. “What we did today was righteous and necessary if we are going to claim the mantle of being the party of accountability.”
Time is slipping for other year-end business in Congress, including passage of the annual spending bills needed to keep government running. It’s the same dilemma that contributed to McCarthy’s ouster as his party demands steep cuts. The risk of shutdowns has hovered all year and the next deadline for funding is Jan. 19.