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Kevin McCarthy resigns from the House of Representatives
Photograph:
Stephanie Scarbrough/AP
Former Speaker of the US House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy has announced his resignation from the US Congress. He has decided to leave the House of Representatives at the end of this year "to serve America in a new way," the Republican wrote in an opinion piece for the Wall Street Journal. I know that my work is only just beginning.« He leaves with a "smile on his face."
McCarthy had been voted out of office as speaker of the House of Representatives in a historic vote at the beginning of October – after he had only been elected by MPs after 15 rounds of voting just nine months earlier. Radical Republicans had first obstructed his election and then driven him out of office.
It was the first time in U.S. history that a Speaker of the House of Representatives lost his job in this way. The office ranks third in the state hierarchy of the United States after the president and his vice-president.
"It often seems that the more Washington does, the worse off America is," the 58-year-old McCarthy wrote. He started his career as a small business owner and is looking forward to helping entrepreneurs and risk-takers reach their full potential. "The challenges we face can be solved by innovation rather than by legislation."
Republicans lose two seats for the time being
With McCarthy's departure, the Republicans now have only a narrow majority of 220 to 213 seats in the 435-seat House of Representatives. Only on Friday, the chamber of Congress had voted with a broad bipartisan majority to expel Republican Rep. George Santos from New York .
In California and New York, early elections must be held to determine the allocation of vacant seats. However, McCarthy's electoral district in California is considered firmly in Republican hands.
hba/dpa