Adam S. Olsen- Washington, D.C.
October 18, 2023

This afternoon, Republican Representative Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) again failed to win the House speaker’s gavel in a second vote, drawing less support than in an initial vote the day before. The loss raises serious questions over whether the Ohio Republican has a viable path forward as he confronts steep opposition and the House remains in… Read More

Adam S. Olsen- Washington, D.C.
October 17, 2023

In its thirteenth day without a Speaker, the House meets at 12:00 P.M. for legislative business and will begin a quorum call by recorded vote prior to the vote for election of the Speaker.  Representative Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) is currently short of the votes he needs to be elected speaker, even after the Ohio Republican… Read More

Adam S. Olsen- Washington, D.C.
October 16, 2023

House Republicans are planning to hold a full House vote Tuesday on electing a Speaker, but their nominee, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), is still working to lock down support.  Jordan won the nomination with 124 votes within the GOP conference and then claimed 152 votes when members were asked if they would… Read More

Adam S. Olsen- Washington, D.C.
October 13, 2023

 “If you see smoke, it’s not a speaker. Someone just set the place on fire,” Ronny Jackson (R-Texas). House Republicans have gone 10 days without a Speaker and seem even further from electing their next leader.  House Republicans are meeting again this morning after Representative Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana) announced at a Republican conference meeting Thursday… Read More

Adam S. Olsen- Washington, D.C.
October 12, 2023

House Republican members are gathering again this afternoon behind closed doors, to try to hash out a way forward as Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana)  is scrambling to lock down the votes to become the next House speaker, but protracted opposition to the Louisiana Republican inside the GOP conference and the numerical realities of the… Read More

Adam S. Olsen- Washington, D.C.
October 11, 2023

While the Senate is in recess today, House Republicans just nominated Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana) to be the next Speaker, sending his candidacy to the House floor following former Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-California) stunning ouster last week.  Scalise secured the nomination 113-99 in a closed-door GOP conference meeting, defeating House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim… Read More

Adam S. Olsen- Washington, D.C.
October 10, 2023

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:… Read More

Adam S. Olsen- Washington, D.C.
October 4, 2023

Kevin McCarthy (R-California) is now the first speaker in history to have been voted out of his job — 216 to 210 — with a mere eight Republican detractors in his slim majority sealing his fate and siding with Democrats to oust him.  The eight Republicans who voted against McCarthy are: Andy Biggs of Arizona,… Read More

Adam S. Olsen- Washington, D.C.
October 3, 2023

Representative Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) moved on Monday to oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-California) from his post, a move that poses the clearest threat yet to Mr. McCarthy’s troubled tenure and could plunge the House into chaos.  After days of warnings, Mr. Gaetz rose on Monday evening to bring up a resolution declaring the speakership vacant,… Read More

Adam S. Olsen- Washington, D.C.
October 2, 2023

Congress narrowly averted a government shutdown on Saturday as the House, in a stunning turnabout, approved a stopgap plan to keep the federal government open until mid-November. After Senate passage, President Biden signed the bill shortly before midnight.  In tumultuous day of events on Capitol Hill, a coalition of House Democrats and Republicans voted to… Read More