POLITICS
House Remains Paralyzed Without Speaker After Rep. Steve Scalise Withdraws From Consideration
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The U.S. House of Representatives remains paralyzed without a speaker nearly two weeks after the historic ouster of Rep Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), and as war in Israel enters its seventh day.
Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the majority leader and second-ranking Republican in the chamber, withdrew from consideration on Thursday after failing to secure enough votes for the speakership.
After announcing his candidacy last week, House Republicans on Wednesday nominated Scalise in a closed-door meeting by a vote of 113–99 over Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, the chair of the House Judiciary Committee and one of the leaders of the impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.
But in order to secure the speakership, Scalise needed a majority of votes from the full House, and Republicans, who hold a slim majority, remained divided.
There are still some people that have their own agendas and I was very clear: We have to have everybody put their agendas on the side and focus on what this country needs. This country is counting on us to come back together. This House of Representatives needs a Speaker and we need to open up the House again, Scalise said in a statement announcing his withdrawal.
There are some folks [who] really need to look in the mirror over the next couple of days and decide: Are we going to get it back on track? Or they’re going to try to pursue their own agenda? You can’t do both, he said.
But I never came here for a title, and it’s much bigger than me, and it’s much bigger than anybody else. And nobody is going to use me as an excuse to hold back our ability to get the House opened again, he said. We still need to get a Speaker and I’m going to continue to push as hard as we can to make that happen as quickly as it has to happen.
Jordan indicated he would wait until Friday to decide whether he would try to launch another bid for the gavel.
McCarthy was ousted by just a handful of conservative Republicans after Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) filed a motion to vacate the chair, forcing a historic vote on whether to keep McCarthy, which he lost 216–210. He was the first House speaker in U.S. history to be removed by a floor vote.
McCarthy had struggled to unite House Republicans behind a budget deal to avoid a government shutdown, as the more conservative flank led by Gaetz pushed for deep domestic spending cuts and objected to sending more aid to Ukraine.
House Republicans were already under pressure to elect a new speaker before a temporary budget extension expires on Nov. 17, threatening a government shutdown, but that pressure intensified over the weekend when fighting broke out in the Middle East. Without an elected speaker, the House cannot pass any legislation, including international aid.
Rep. Patrick McHenry of North Carolina remains interim speaker, with limited powers, until another candidate can secure the votes needed to take the chair.
TMX contributed to this article.
