[ad_1]
Republican leader Kevin McCarthy failed again to win the speakership of the US House on Wednesday in a dramatic fourth round vote, as the chamber plunged into Day Two of the new Congress with no end in sight to the political chaos Republicans have created.
McCarthy did no better than he did when he opened the ballot as conservative incumbents rejected him by voice. Neither mind had changed, and he again fell short by the 218 votes normally needed to win the hammer.
California Republicans vowed to keep fighting despite losing several rounds of elections that left their new majority in turmoil a day earlier.
The House gavelled at noon, and McCarthy’s allies quickly re-nominated for the job with a rousing speech designed to kill off detractors.
“Sure, it looks crowded,” Rep. Mike Gallagher said. But democracy is messy, he said. “Americans are in charge.”
McCarthy himself entered the room saying, “We’re going to have another vote.”
But the dynamic proved to be no different from Day One. Democrats re-up their leader, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, for Speaker, and the right-wing leader of the Freedom Caucus offered another challenge to McCarthy – nominated Florida Rep. Byron Donalds, in the moment of making another history. Both Jeffries and Donalds are black.
“This country needs leadership,” said Rep. Chip Roy, Texas Republican, who is watching for the first time in the history of two Black Americans nominated for high office, and legislators from both parties rose to applaud.
The previous day’s stalemate was the first time in 100 years that a nominee for House Speaker could not take the gavel on the first ballot.
Earlier Wednesday, former president Donald Trump urged Republicans to vote for McCarthy: “CLOSE THE DEAL, TAKE THE VICTORY,” he wrote on the social media site, Truth Social. He added: “REPUBLICAN, DON’T TURN A GREAT VICTORY INTO A GIANT & DISGUSTING DEFEAT.”
WATCH | Trump’s latest signal could prevent McCarthy from bleeding more support: ‘
Joining the ultra-conservative Freedom Caucus to fight Kevin McCarthy’s bid to become US House Speaker could be a better option for House Republicans because there is no clear alternative, Washington Post reporter Aaron Blake says.
Trump, who as president once referred to McCarthy as “My Kevin,” still has influence with many members of the party despite the legal challenges he faces, as well as a mixed record of endorsements in recent midterms, which has led to a Republican comeback. control of the House but failed to capture the majority of the Senate from the Democrats.
The current president said House Republicans’ inability to unite behind the Speaker candidate, which has prevented the chamber from starting its legislative business, “embarrassing” and “doesn’t look good” for the country.
Speaking at the White House on Wednesday before traveling to Kentucky for an event to highlight last year’s bipartisan infrastructure legislation, Joe Biden said of Republicans: “I hope they can get their act together.”
Shortly after Gallagher spoke in the room, Texas Republican Chip Roy rose to nominate Floridian Byron Donalds, whose name was not mentioned at any time during the long session on Tuesday. So Donalds could become the first Black Speaker of the House in US history.
The opposition is entrenched so far
The tumultuous start to the new Congress points to difficulties ahead with Republicans now in control of the House, with tensions running high. Without the Speaker, the House cannot be fully formed — including swearing in its members, naming committee chairs, participating in floor proceedings and launching oversight into the Biden administration.
Asked by reporters late Tuesday if he would be out, McCarthy said: “It’s not going to happen.”
It usually requires a majority of the House to be Speaker, 218 votes, although the threshold can be lowered if members are absent or just vote, there is a strategy McCarthy has in mind. It’s unclear how long Democratic members will participate en masse.
If McCarthy can win 213 votes and then persuade the remaining naysayers to just vote now, he will be able to lower the threshold required by the rules to have a majority. But he won by no more than 203 votes in three rounds of voting on Tuesday, falling 20 Republicans short of a 222-seat majority.
WATCH | Recap of Tuesday’s tension-filled session:
Republicans failed to elect a new US Speaker of the House on Tuesday, the first time in a century that the legislature in the majority party has failed to agree on a candidate. Leave Capitol Hill unable to do business and the Republican party in disarray.
Not since 1923 has the election of the Speaker been multiple ballots, and the longest and hardest battle for the hammer began in late 1855 and dragged on for two months, with 133 ballots, during the debate on slavery during the Civil War. .
“Kevin McCarthy will never be Speaker,” said Virginia Republican Bob Good.
A potential replacement is unclear
Overall, the final 20 Republicans on Tuesday voted for someone other than McCarthy. Ohio Republican Jim Jordan twice pushed forward by conservatives, but has so far expressed disinterest in the role while supporting McCarthy.
The rejection forced a third and final election before Republican leaders hurriedly postponed it Tuesday afternoon.
Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, chairman of the Freedom Caucus and leader of Trump’s efforts to challenge the 2020 presidential election, has said earlier that it is up to McCarthy to meet the demands and change the dynamic.
All 212 Democrats on Tuesday enthusiastically voted for Hakeem Jeffries, who took over the party leadership from Nancy Pelosi, as their choice for Speaker – a typically symbolic gesture from the minority.
“We are looking for a partner willing to solve problems for the American people, not save the Republicans from their dysfunction,” said Jeffries at the end of Tuesday’s chaotic session.
[ad_2]
Source link