Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi showed no sympathy for Republicans stuck in a vote-a-rama for their first days in the majority because they can’t agree on electing a new speaker.
The California Democrat called the stalemate “sad” for the country and said it disrespected the institution of Congress.
“This is a problem of their own making. This is called leadership. They should be able to work it out. Don’t put this at the Democrats’ doorstep,” Mrs. Pelosi, who made history as the first female speaker of the House and stepped down at the close of the last Congress after leading House Democrats for 12 years, told reporters at the Capitol.
Her comments came in response to a question about whether Democrats would be willing to broker a deal with Republicans for a consensus candidate.
“This is their problem, and their lack of respect for this institution, their lack of respect for the responsibility that we all have to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States to get the job done for the American people,” she said.
Congress is on its second day of balloting with roughly 20 Republicans opposing GOP leader Kevin McCarthy for speaker. They say he is not conservative enough.
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So far, his defectors had put up Reps.-elect Jim Jordan of Ohio and Byron Donalds of Florida as alternatives. Both garnered 20 votes.
House Democrats have voted as a unified block on each ballot for their new party leader, Rep.-elect Hakeem Jeffries.
The failure to elect a speaker has prevented the organizing of the 118th Congress, including preventing the swearing-in of House members.
• Mica Soellner can be reached at msoellner@washingtontimes.com.
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