Members of Congress and incoming intelligence experts have warned that a delay in choosing a House speaker could jeopardize national security and raise concerns among US allies.
“The Biden administration is unchecked and there is no oversight by the White House, the State Department, the Defense Department, or the intelligence community,” Reps. Mike Turner (R-Ohio), Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) and Michael McCaul (R-Texas) – chairman of the House committees on Intelligence, Armed Services and Foreign Affairs, respectively – said Thursday in a joint statement. “We cannot allow personal politics to risk the safety and security of the United States.”
He also said he is “very supportive” of Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) for House speaker. McCarthy has been the House Republican leader, but the 2022 midterm elections hand control of the House from the Democrats to the GOP.
On Thursday afternoon, a group of hardline Republicans blocked McCarthy from becoming speaker for the 10th time in three days. Since members of parliament cannot be sworn in until the speaker is elected, the committee cannot begin its work.
Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) said he was not allowed to attend a meeting with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff because he was informed by House security that he did not have proper clearance, CNN reported.
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“If a very small group of lawmakers can hold Congress — and the country — hostage to unreasonable demands, it could create major risks for American aid, American defense and diplomatic spending,” Brett Bruen, a former U.S. diplomat, told HuffPost.
Bruen also warned that US allies could be worried by the House’s unpredictability.
“This, I think, adds to the already weakened confidence that our allies have in American leadership and in our democracy,” he said.
There isn’t necessarily a longer selection process for House speaker, Bruen said. But he was called “unusual” who was “small [number] members can exert enormous influence and essentially demand that the party be an extension of an extreme agenda.
“This, I think, is very dangerous,” he said.
Thomas Juneau, an associate professor of international affairs at the University of Ottawa and a former Canadian Department of National Defense analyst, said U.S. allies may be concerned when they see what’s happening in the House of Representatives.
“It’s easy to watch the clown show in the US Congress and enjoy the Republicans peeling their own bananas,” he said tweeted Thursday. “But for US allies like Canada and others, this paralysis, instability and unpredictability is a significant threat.”