Bringing the "motion to vacate" was longtime McCarthy critic and fellow Republican Matt Gaetz (left), from Florida. The two men have clashed repeatedly this year over policy priorities, and Gaetz was angered heavily by McCarthy's support of a bipartisan deal to avoid a government shutdown.

McCarthy (right) agreed, as part of a protracted fight to claim the speakership earlier this year, to lower the minimum number of Representatives that a motion to vacate would require, from three to one. Thus, it takes just one member of the House to initiate a drive to oust the Speaker. If a simple majority of the Representatives who are in session (and a quorum has been reached) vote in favor of the motion, then the Speaker is removed from his post.

The Speaker has extraordinary power in such matters, however. He is not bound to schedule a vote on that motion to vacate right away. One option is to have a vote to table the motion, meaning that it sits in limbo until party leaders deem it time to vote again on the motion. Another option is for the Speaker to refer the motion to a committee for more consideration; should that committee then vote to return the motion to the full House, the motion would return to the Speaker's attention.

In the meantime, Gaetz himself faces scrutiny. He is the focus of an investigation by the House Ethics Committee, in regard to allegations of improper activity on a number of fronts.