House Republicans failed Wednesday to elect Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) speaker on the second vote, as calls grow louder to empower speaker pro tempore Patrick McHenry (R-NC) until the deadlock is broken.
Only 199 GOP lawmakers supported Jordan in the second vote – one less than he received the day before – while 22 others broke ranks to support former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) , and a handful of current and former lawmakers.
Cast votes are pouring in for Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), Rep. Mike Garcia (R-Calif.), Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas) and Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.).
Michigan Representative John James endorsed former congresswoman from his district, Candice Miller, while Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) shouted the name of former House speaker John Boehner, prompting applause from Democrats.
The failure of Tuesday’s first vote and the possibility of Jordan winning the gavel on Wednesday prompted Kelly and others to begin preparations to increase the powers of the acting speaker, sources told The Post.
House Republicans failed to elect Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) to lead their caucus during the second round of voting on Wednesday. AP Calls are growing among some GOP lawmakers to temporarily empower speaker pro tempore Patrick McHenry (R-NC) after Jordan’s path to victory has been closed.Getty Images
One House staff member said members appeared ready to put a special motion on McHenry’s speakership for a floor vote on Wednesday, but no such effort was made before the North Carolinian resigned following the speaker’s vote.
Another GOP aide suggested the motion would give McHenry the power to pass a bill providing aid to Israel and other measures until Nov. 17, when government funding runs out.
“Obviously, Democrats have to help us because most of the ‘Taliban caucus’ will oppose any effort like this,” the aide said, referring to the eight GOP lawmakers who helped oust McCarthy Oct. 3.
Emmer told CNN before the vote that McHenry’s resolution was a “non-starter,” leaving the Republican conference in a deadlock of its own making.
The failure of the first vote and the possibility of Jordan winning the gavel the following day prompted Kelly and others to begin preparations to increase the power of the acting speaker. Rod Lamkey – CNP / MEGA
As on Tuesday, all 212 Democrats in attendance voted for Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), mocking Jordan’s record as a lawmaker and his involvement in efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
The Brooklyn Democratic Party won the bulk of the vote over the past two days but fell short of the 217-vote threshold needed to become speaker of the House, with 432 members present to vote on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The third vote of the speaker’s vote, if any, will not be held before noon Thursday.
“We have gained three votes today, but then lost a few of them [who] as I said voted for us before,” Jordan told The Post after the vote, referencing support from Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.) and others who came to his side on Wednesday.
“I think they will come back again, so we will continue to talk to members” he added.
All 212 Democrats in attendance voted for Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), mocking Jordan’s record as a lawmaker and his involvement in efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.AP
“We have Main Street groups that are for us, conservative members that are for us — we’ve done that [conservatives Matt] Rosendale and [Chip] Roy all the way to [moderate Brian] Fitzpatrick and we have a complete conference division.”
But the 13 Republicans who voted again for McCarthy and Scalise appear unconvinced, raising tensions with hardliners like Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) who ousted the former speaker earlier this month for passing a bipartisan government funding bill.
Three members of the New York delegation also held Jordan’s speakership bid with votes for former Long Island congressman and Empire State gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin.
“While I continue to meet with Mr. Jordan on this matter and issues important to my county, I cannot support any candidate for Speaker without clarity on this important issue,” Suffolk County Rep. Nick LaLota posted on X before voting for him, outlining his concerns about the Ohioan’s ability to “keep our government open and pay our military while making progress on our budget and our borders.”
Thirteen Republicans voted again for ousted House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-Pa.), raising tensions with hardliners.Getty Images
Others, such as Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY), disagreed and said Jordan had kept his promise.
“Congressman Jim Jordan has proven that he is committed to restoring transparency to Congress, reining in runaway spending, holding our adversaries accountable, and strengthening oversight of federal bureaucrats,” Tenney told The Post in a statement, urging others to support Jordan for the third. round
However, strong supporters of McCarthy such as Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.) said that an apparently ongoing and well-funded pressure campaign by Jordanian allies would not influence their vote.
“Someone is funding this,” Gimenez told The Post, citing the large number of phone calls his office and some of his constituents have received in the past 24 hours.
Others like Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) disagreed and said Jordan had kept his promise.REUTERS
“I don’t really accept threats,” added the Cuban-born representative.
Wife of Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), who also voted twice for McCarthy, has been getting threatening texts from anonymous reporters since her husband first came out against Jordan.
Frustration came to a head hours after the vote when several House of Representatives members made new calls for McHenry to come to power.
“I think we’re going to empower the speaker pro tem to act as Speaker for a period of time, maybe until the end of the year,” Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) told reporters.
Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), who voted for Scalise, raise the stakes by calling on all House members to return that evening for a floor vote on McHenry.
But Garcia threw cold water on that effort when speaking to reporters.
“If it’s temporary or empowering McHenry for a few weeks, that’s interesting, but that’s a short-term solution,” he said.
Garcia also suggested that members “seclude” themselves in places such as “Manassas” in Virginia or “Gettysburg” in Pennsylvania.
“We need to isolate ourselves somewhere else outside the Beltway — away from the drama, away from the lobbyists, away from all the fat here — and remind ourselves what it means to be a patriot,” he said.
“Let’s set aside the rules, set aside all the protocols and all the BS that got us to this point, have a big grown-up conversation in one room and figure out how we’re going to navigate this.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
