Conservatives Block Election of New House Speaker, Leave House Paralyzed
Key Highlights :
The Republican Party's plans to elect a new House Speaker were dashed on Wednesday, leaving the chamber paralyzed for a second week as lawmakers struggled to unite their conference behind a candidate. Despite a majority of GOP votes in a closed-door meeting, Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana couldn't round up the 217 votes needed to win the gavel in a House floor vote. His rival, Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, received 99 votes.
Rank-and-file Republicans are growing increasingly frustrated with their fringe of hardline conservatives who make up the bulk of holdouts. Many of them plan to vote for Mr. Jordan, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, who narrowly lost the party’s nomination for speaker to Mr. Scalise in the GOP’s secret ballot vote Wednesday. Mr. Jordan and Mr. Scalise are largely aligned politically, but Mr. Jordan is considered more conservative and is a hero among Republican hardliners who have long admired his willingness to stand up to the GOP leadership on spending cuts and major policy issues such as border security.
The House has been shuttered since last week, when eight hardline conservatives voted with all Democrats to oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy, California Republican, from the speaker’s chair. The House clerk has appointed Republican Rep. Patrick McHenry of North Carolina to serve as temporary speaker, but his authority is limited to gaveling in and out of session and the oversight of the speaker’s election. He cannot conduct legislative business.
Rather than hold a floor vote that will likely produce no winner, Republicans are punting until at least Thursday, giving them more time to twist arms or otherwise plead for cooperation from more than half a dozen GOP lawmakers who are refusing to back Mr. Scalise. The Democrats won’t help. They have nominated Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York for speaker.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Georgia Republican, said she plans to vote for Mr. Jordan, whom she said “is prepared to take on the fight” against the Democrats in the Senate and White House. Reps. Chip Roy of Texas and Thomas Massie of Kentucky said they were not ready to back Mr. Scalise.
Some of the holdouts say their refusal to back Mr. Scalise is due to the still-unresolved fiscal 2024 spending legislation. Mr. Massie said he wants to see a plan that will ensure the House votes for spending bills separately and not lumped together in one piece of legislation.
Mr. McCarthy said it’s now up to Mr. Scalise to talk to the holdouts and figure out “what their concerns are.” Earlier in the day, Mr. Scalise expressed confidence that he’d be able to come up with the 217 votes. Mr. Scalise said his first action after he wins the gavel will be to bring up a resolution, written by House Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul of Texas, supporting Israel as it works to defeat the terrorist organization Hamas.
The House of Representatives remains unable to legislate until a new Speaker is elected. Despite the best efforts of Majority Leader Steve Scalise and his rival, Rep. Jim Jordan, both of whom have been backed by their respective supporters, the chamber remains paralyzed for a second week as lawmakers struggle to unite their conference behind a candidate.
The majority of the holdouts are hardline conservatives who have longed for a Speaker Jordan, and are refusing to back Mr. Scalise. These hardliners have admired Mr. Jordan's willingness to stand up to the GOP leadership on spending cuts and major policy issues such as border security.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Georgia Republican, said she plans to vote for Mr. Jordan, whom she said “is prepared to take on the fight” against the Democrats in the Senate and White House. Reps. Chip Roy of Texas and Thomas Massie of Kentucky said they were not ready to back Mr. Scalise.
The Democrats won’t help. They have nominated Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York for speaker. Rather than hold a floor vote that will likely produce no winner, Republicans are punting until at least Thursday, giving them more time to twist arms or otherwise plead for cooperation from more than half a dozen GOP lawmakers who are refusing to back Mr. Scalise.
Some of the holdouts say their refusal to back Mr. Scalise is due to the still-unresolved fiscal 2024 spending legislation. Mr. Massie said he wants to see a plan that will ensure the House votes for spending bills separately and not lumped together in one piece of legislation.
The House of Representatives remains unable to conduct legislative business until a new Speaker is elected. The frustration among rank-and-file Republicans is growing as they attempt to come to a consensus on a candidate that will bring the chamber back to life. Without an elected speaker, the House remains unable to legislate, and the American people are left without a real change in leadership.
