Yuri Gripas/Reuters
Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) filed a motion Tuesday to oust House Speaker John A. Boehner, in a challenge that has only been attempted once before—105 years ago. The congressman filed the request to begin a “family conversation” following a series of rifts between Boehner and House Republicans. If successful, the measure would force an election of a new speaker. Meadows was removed from his post as chairman on an Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee after he voted against a leadership-backed procedural vote on trade legislation. His chairmanship was later restored. The resolution accuses Boehner of centralizing decision-making and using “the power of the office to punish members who vote according to their conscience instead of the will of the speaker.”