House Republicans are bracing for what could be a divided and drawn-out fight to elect a new Speaker of the House this week as they appear to struggle to unify behind one candidate. The Republican conference will meet at 5:00 P.M. today to hear from the two candidates running to be speaker of the House: Majority Leader Steve Scalise, (R-Louisiana) and Representative Jim Jordan, (R-Ohio). Republicans are facing increased pressure to coalesce around one candidate quickly so the House can provide aid to Israel after Hamas-led attacks have left hundreds of Israelis dead in the most devastating assault on Israel in five decades. At least 14 Americans are among those killed in the attacks. The government is also facing yet another looming government shutdown next month.
Today’s meeting comes a day before Republicans have said they plan to hold an internal conference vote for Speaker on Wednesday morning, but a full House floor vote has yet to be scheduled. For the speaker candidate forum tonight, each candidate will have five minutes for opening remarks, followed by an expected contentious question-and-answer session with members, and then two minutes for closing remarks. The conference could also vote on a proposal aimed at keeping internal disagreements behind closed doors by requiring any nominee to win 217 Republican votes, enough to elect the next speaker on the House floor over Democratic opposition. Republicans hold a narrow 221-212 majority, which made it possible for a fraction of their members to force out former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-California) , who was ousted last week, and also made him endure 15 grueling floor votes to become speaker in January.
Also complicating matters is the realization that both Scalise and Jordan are extremely flawed candidates and 60 to 80 Republicans are rumored to dislike the existing options and want to see McCarthy run for Speaker again. Former Speaker McCarthy floated the possibility on Monday that he might be open to reclaiming the post from which he was ousted less than a week ago. As of today, neither Scalise nor Jordan have the support necessary to become Speaker, prompting fears of a drawn-out process and a deadlock — and perhaps giving an opening for McCarthy. Without a Speaker, the House is unable to conduct any legislative business in support of Israel, one of the U.S.’s closest allies, and questions remain about how much authority Representative Patrick McHenry (R-North Carolina) who is currently serving as Speaker pro tempore, has, but the general consensus is that his authority in the role is limited. House Democrats argue that McHenry can do little else but oversee the election of a new Speaker and gavel the House into session.
The Senate will only be in session for pro forma meetings this week which were held today at 12:00 P.M. and will be held Friday, October 13 at 9:15 A.M. When the Senate adjourns on Friday, it will stand adjourned until 3:00 P.M. on Monday, October 16 when it is expected to take up the Motion to invoke cloture on the nomination of Jennifer L. Hall to be United States District Judge for the District of Delaware.
