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4 October 2023
The shortest speakership in almost 150 years
By Victoria Cooper, Research Editor
Republican Kevin McCarthy was ousted as speaker of the US House of Representatives on Tuesday evening in a historic vote, with all House Democrats and eight House Republicans voting to remove McCarthy (216-210). The unprecedented action is the first time in the House’s 234 years that a motion to vacate has successfully removed a House speaker and is the ultimate climax of McCarthy’s long and bitter struggle to rein in the hard-right wing of his party – a challenge that has loomed over the speaker since his rocky path to the gavel in January 2023, which itself took 15 votes. The search now begins for a Republican who can hold House Republicans together.
The latest episode of House drama is just one of several significant developments occurring on Capitol Hill in the last week. Just days ago, the US Government narrowly avoided a shutdown, with Congress passing a bipartisan-supported continuing resolution a mere three hours before the 1 October funding deadline. The temporary spending bill will keep the government funded until mid-November, however it didn’t include additional funding for Ukraine, something both President Biden, congressional Democrats and even Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said was an urgent priority.
Delays and spending battles are by no means new. In the last 50 years, Congress has only passed all of its appropriations measures by the deadline four times and has often relied on continuing resolutions to buy itself more time to hash through its differences. But, with all 12 appropriations bills still yet to pass, and the House now paralysed with a vacant speaker’s chair, the path to ensure government funding by the November deadline only appears more fraught and uncertain.
NEWS WRAP
Vale Dianne Feinstein
- Vale Dianne Feinstein | Dianne Feinstein, the longest serving female senator in US history, passed away at age 90. Feinstein’s formidable political career extended 60 years, with the senator forging new ground on federal assault weapons bans and earning her legacy on issues from national security to environmental protection. Laphonza Butler, the longtime Democrat fundraiser and president of Emily’s List, will fill her seat, fulfilling California Governor Gavin Newsom’s promise to appoint a Black woman to the vacancy. READ MORE HERE
- Trump trial begins | Donald Trump appeared in court to face the first of his several upcoming trials – a New York civil case alleging Trump inflated the value of his assets to secure more favourable business loans. The trial, expected to run for several weeks, will determine whether Trump is able to continue his businesses in New York and may see the former president fined up to US$250 million in damages. READ MORE HERE
- Fire alarm scandal | Democrat Representative Jamaal Bowman is being investigated by Capitol Police for pulling a fire alarm shortly before a House vote on the weekend. Bowman insists the action was a mistake amid frenzied efforts to avert a fast-approaching government spending deadline. However, several Republicans accuse the congressman of intentionally stalling the House vote on the continuing resolution. READ MORE HERE
- Hunter Biden pleads not guilty | The president’s son, Hunter Biden, entered a plea of not guilty to three federal firearm charges that are punishable by up to 25 years prison. The charges followed the collapse of a plea deal between Hunter and federal prosecutors after Republicans railed against his so-called special treatment, with Hunter’s defence lawyers saying the charges are the result of political pressure. READ MORE HERE
"Doing the right thing isn't always easy, but it is necessary. I don't regret standing up for choosing governing over grievance. It is my job. I do not regret negotiating, our government is designed to find compromise..."
Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy remarks after being ousted | 3 October 2023
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Did you USSC?
- COMMENTARY | Is Australia's defence force, and the public service, too conservative?
Director of Emerging Technology, Miah Hammond-Errey writes in The Canberra Times about the challenges facing the defence and public-sectors as they look to steward public resources, ensure good governance and embrace new technologies. READ FULL ARTICLE
- EXPLAINER | AUKUS status update: Checking in on the advancement of Pillar II
Research Associates Tom Barrett and Sophie Mayo look at the progress made on the other half of the AUKUS agreement - the eight areas of advanced technology and development that make up Pillar II. READ MORE HERE
- LATEST UPDATES | Where the ‘other’ 2024 Republican candidates stand on Australia and the world
Following on from last week's second Republican primary debate, Research Associates Samuel Garrett and Ava Kalinauskas update where the non-Trump candidates span on the full gambit of foreign policy issues from trade and alliances to China and climate change. READ THE LATEST
EVENT
UPSCALE report launch
We are excited to launch a new United States Studies Centre (USSC) major report –UPSCALE: Using Private Sector Capital for the Alliance.
Drawing lessons from the US experience, this report tackles the pressing issue of how to finance Australia's national security capabilities. It includes policy recommendations to address the challenges faced by Australian small and medium enterprises, private equity and venture capital, and government.
USSC CEO, Dr Michael J. Green, will host the event featuring a keynote address by Mr Doug Beck, dialling in virtually from the United States. Mr Beck is the Director of the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), part of the US Department of Defense. The DIU targets the adoption of commercial technology for military purposes. Mr Beck was previously Vice President at Apple and is a Captain in the US Navy Reserve.
Following the keynote address, join ABC's defence correspondent, Mr Andrew Greene, for a discussion and Q&A with UPSCALE report authors, Mrs Hayley Channer and Dr John Kunkel.
WHERE
Dawes Point Rooms, Pier One Sydney Harbour,
11 Hickson Road Walsh Bay, NSW 2000
WHEN
SYDNEY | 6 October 2023, 8.30am - 10am AEDT
Working breakfast provided between 08.30 - 09.00, with the keynote to commence at 09.00 sharp.
COST
Free, but spaces are strictly limited
BY THE NUMBERS
Are Australians concerned about the lack of compromise in Congress?
By Victoria Cooper, Research Editor
Chaotic weeks in US politics like the one just past seem to only highlight how a lack of compromise between the Democrats and Republicans can interfere with the functioning of the US Government and the US role in the world. Just when the two sides had come together in the House (198-232) to avert a government shutdown, the fleeting moment of a ‘crisis averted’ formed the very basis for a new crisis – with the first ever successful motion to vacate, launched against House Speaker Kevin McCarthy by warring flanks of the Republican Party who felt betrayed by the speaker’s reach across the aisle.
It is often said that many Australians watch US domestic politics like television entertainment, feeling safe from the more acute, real-world effects of congressional brinkmanship on their day-to-day lives. Yet, polling from the United States Studies Centre in September 2022 suggests Australians see US politics as more than just entertainment and are in fact more attuned to the effects of US politics than that sentiment would imply. More than two in five Australians (43 per cent) said they were ‘very concerned’ about the lack of compromise between Democrats and Republicans in 2022, meanwhile, only 11 per cent said they were ‘not at all concerned’.
With the latest developments in US politics exposing further division and tumult on Congress, will this year’s polling numbers produce a different result? Will more Australians say they are very concerned about the lack of compromise between Democrats and Republicans? The latest United States Studies Centre polling addressing these issues and several more will be released at the USSC’s Sydney International Strategy Forum 1 November. Register to attend here.
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University of Sydney NSW 2006
