Republicans on Monday were no closer to picking a new House speaker, leaving the chamber rudderless and GOP lawmakers shut out from legislating amid calls for congressional action on Israel’s behalf.
House Republicans huddled in the basement of the Capitol late Monday to begin closed-door deliberations about who should replace Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who was ousted as speaker last week in an unprecedented move by a handful of rogue conservatives.
“It’s still raw for a lot of people,” Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, of New York, said as she headed into the meeting. “This will be the airing of the grievances.”
Mr. McCarthy said Monday he’d take back the gavel if the conference votes for him. This makes him an unofficial candidate in a race that had already split GOP lawmakers between Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio.
Republicans need roughly 217 votes to elect a GOP speaker on the House floor, which means nearly all of the conference will have to agree on a candidate.
So far, Mr. Jordan seems to be ahead on the whip count, GOP lawmakers say. But they are far from the 217 goal and the fractured alliances have raised the possibility that no new Republican speaker can win.
Rep. Darrell Issa, who backs Mr. Jordan, said Mr. Jordan can unite the eight conservatives who worked to oust Mr. McCarthy as well as the rank-and-file who wanted to keep Mr. McCarthy.
“He’s the first-choice candidate of some people,” Mr. Issa, California Republican, said of Mr. Jordan. “Kevin [McCarthy] is the first candidate of a lot of people. Scalise is the first candidate of a lot of people. The question is, who’s the last candidate to get to that 217?”
If they remain divided this week, Republicans could decide to formally elect Rep. Patrick McHenry, North Carolina Republican, to serve as a placeholder speaker. However, that would likely run into opposition from the hard-line conservatives who want Mr. Jordan or no one.
Mr. McHenry, a staunch ally of Mr. McCarthy’s, was installed as temporary speaker under emergency House rules after McCarthy’s ouster. Unless he is formally elected by the entire House, he cannot conduct any business other than presiding over the election of a new speaker.
Lawmakers on Monday said Republicans will pick a winner among the candidates and feel pressured to get it done this week.
Republican lawmakers are eager to reactivate the floor so they can bring up a resolution condemning Hamas, which triggered a war with Israel over the weekend by invading the country and massacring roughly 900 Israelis. At least 11 Americans are among the dead.
Congress also may be pressed to approve more military aid for Israel, which, a House source told The Washington Times, is seeking precision-guided munitions and replenishment of interceptors for the Iron Dome, the nation’s air defense system that has been working around the clock to neutralize Hamas missile attacks.
• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.
• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.
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