House Republicans have added urgency to the need for a new House Speaker after attacks by Islamic terrorist group Hamas infiltrated Israel. The pressure to pick a new leader to succeed Kevin McCarthy is met with two strong candidates in the forefront.
GOP lawmakers plan on entering a conference vote as soon as Wednesday, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise has earned roughly two dozen endorsements from colleagues since announcing his run for the position, while Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan leads the House Judiciary Committee and is supported by former president Donald Trump.
Learn the benefits of becoming a Valuetainment Member and subscribe today!
ISRAEL WAR ADDS URGENCY TO US REPUBLICAN HOUSE SPEAKER CRISIS (Reuters)
Republicans in the U.S. Congress face new pressure to select a House speaker after Israel declared war on Sunday, following a rare attack by Hamas militants that has prompted calls for more U.S. military… pic.twitter.com/YDxRnUly7S
— FXHedge (@Fxhedgers) October 8, 2023
Lawmakers want the U.S. to move quickly with some combination of sanctions, aid and resolutions supporting its Israeli allies. However, without a Speaker, the House cannot conduct legislative business and it results in a delayed response to Israel’s crisis as well as any potential terrorist attack anywhere else.
Oklahoma Rep. Kevin Hern – a third potential candidate and chairman of the Republican Study Committee – ruled himself out on Saturday. He stressed on the importance of unifying House Republicans to come to an agreement, claiming that a three-man race would “create even more division and make it harder to elect a speaker.” He affirmed that both Jordan and Scalise have proven their effective leadership.
“We have to move quickly on this,” Rep. Michael McCaul, Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said Sunday on CNN. “We’re just in too dangerous of a time to be playing games with our national security.”
Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry has limited powers to run the House until the new Speaker is elected. He had sent lawmakers home after Tuesday’s vote to vacate the speakership, “leaving candidates to campaign for the job by making phone calls.”
The candidates are expected to make their pitches in a closed-door forum on Tuesday. They could vote on their nominee as soon as Wednesday. Until a Speaker is chosen, the House of Representatives remains frozen.
Former U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy responds to the attacks on Israel:
Former House Speaker Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) announces a 5-point plan for U.S. to respond to the Hamas attacks on Israel: "Bidens policy on appeasement including money for hostage deals must come to an end. His policy has only emboldened terrorist." pic.twitter.com/QLNP0OO2oY
— CSPAN (@cspan) October 9, 2023
Add comment