House Republicans will open the second day of the new Congress the same way they did the first, with Leader Kevin McCarthy trying to become speaker of the House despite losing several rounds of voting on Tuesday, sparking chaos of the new Republican majority.
It was the first time in 100 years that a candidate for Speaker of the House failed to pick up the gavel on the first ballot, but McCarthy did not seem discouraged.
The House is scheduled to reconvene Wednesday afternoon after the impasse essentially brought all other business to a halt.
Earlier Wednesday, former President Donald Trump urged Republicans to vote for McCarthy: “CLOSE THE DEAL, TAKE THE VICTORY,” he wrote on his social media site, Truth Social. He added: “REPUBLICANS, DON’T TURN A GREAT TRIUMPH INTO A GIANT, EMBARRASSING DEFEAT.”
WATCH Trump’s latest sign could prevent McCarthy from bleeding more support:
Freedom Caucus growth is a danger to Kevin McCarthy, reporter says
Joining the ultraconservative Freedom Caucus to oppose Kevin McCarthy’s attempt to become speaker of the US House could become a more acceptable option for House Republicans because there is no alternative obvious, says Washington Post reporter Aaron Blake.
Trump, who while the president once referred to McCarthy as “My Kevin,” still holds sway with large numbers of party members despite the specter of legal challenges he faces, as well as his mixed record of ‘endorsements in the recent midterms, which saw the Republicans recover. control of the House, but fails to wrest the majority of the Senate from the Democrats.
The current speaker said the inability of House Republicans to unify behind a candidate for speaker, which has prevented the chamber from starting its legislative business, was “shameful” and “doesn’t have a good aspect” for the country.
Speaking at the White House on Wednesday before a trip to Kentucky for an event to highlight last year’s bipartisan infrastructure law, Joe Biden said of Republicans: “I hope they get their act together.”
Rooted opposition until now
The tumultuous start to the new Congress signaled difficulties ahead with Republicans now in control of the House, with tensions mounting. Without a speaker, the House cannot fully form, which includes swearing in its members, appointing its committee chairs, participating in floor proceedings and launching oversight of the Biden administration.
U.S. House Speaker-elect Kevin McCarthy reacts during Tuesday’s lengthy House session in Washington, which featured three rounds of deadlocked votes. (Associated Press)
“We all came here to get things done,” the second-ranking Republican, Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, said in a speech in which he nominated McCarthy for the vote and urged his colleagues to drop their protest .
Asked by a reporter Tuesday afternoon if he would quit, McCarthy said, “It’s not going to happen.”
A majority of the House is usually needed to become president, 218 votes, although the threshold can be lowered if members are absent or present only, a strategy McCarthy appeared to be considering. It’s unclear how long Democratic members will attend en masse.
If McCarthy could win 213 votes and then persuade the remaining naysayers to simply vote present, he could lower the threshold required by the rules to have a majority. But he won no more than 203 votes in three rounds of voting Tuesday, losing as many as 20 Republicans of his slim 222-seat majority.
Not since 1923 has the choice of a president been made on several ballots, and the longest and most grueling struggle for the gavel began in late 1855 and stretched over two months, with 133 ballots, during the debates about slavery in the period before the Civil War. .
“Kevin McCarthy will not be a speaker,” said Virginia Republican Bob Good.
Alternative candidates are unclear
In all, a core group of 19 Republicans, then 20, voted for someone other than McCarthy. Ohio Republican Jim Jordan was twice pushed by conservatives, but has so far expressed disinterest in the role while supporting McCarthy.
Resistance forced a third and final vote before Republican leaders quickly stood up late Tuesday.
Republicans Matt Gaetz and Lauren Boebert, seen Tuesday, oppose McCarthy’s bid for the president’s gavel. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)
Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, chairman of the party’s Freedom Caucus and leader of Trump’s effort to challenge the 2020 presidential election, had previously said it was up to McCarthy to meet his demands and change the dynamic.
All 212 Democrats enthusiastically nominated Hakeem Jeffries, who takes over as party leader from Nancy Pelosi, as their choice for speaker, a typically symbolic gesture from the minority.
“We’re looking for a partner willing to solve problems for the American people, not save Republicans from their dysfunction,” Jeffries said at the end of Tuesday’s chaotic session.