Motion to vacate the chair

A motion to vacate the chair is a House procedure for removing the Speaker. If a majority supports it, the Speakership becomes vacant and the House must elect a new Speaker. It has existed since the early days of Congress and was first used against Speaker Joseph Cannon in 1910, though the motion failed.

In recent Congresses the rules governing it changed several times. Under rules adopted in 2019, a motion needed the support of a majority-party member group. In January 2023, as part of a deal to elect Kevin McCarthy as Speaker, the rules were changed so that a single member could trigger a vote. In October 2023, a motion by Representative Matt Gaetz succeeded, removing McCarthy, the first Speaker removed this way. Later rules raised the threshold so that a motion needs support from a number of members of the majority party.

Supporters of a low threshold see it as a way to hold the Speaker accountable to the rank and file; critics say it gives a small group of members leverage that undermines the Speaker of the House and makes governing difficult in a narrow majority. It is a recurring factor in Republican conference disputes and in the work of the whip and majority leader.