Loading...

House Adjourns After McCarthy Falls Short in Three Votes for Speaker

January 3, 2023 by Dan McCue
House Adjourns After McCarthy Falls Short in Three Votes for Speaker
Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., listens as the second round of votes are cast for the next Speaker of the House on the opening day of the 118th Congress at the U.S. Capitol, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

WASHINGTON — The House adjourned on Tuesday evening after Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., failed in three back-to-back votes to secure enough support to be elected House speaker.

The votes left the House GOP in an apparent state of chaos. Until a speaker is elected, the rest of the chamber’s members-elect cannot be sworn in, because by rules set down by the founding fathers, their oath of office is administered by the speaker.

Voting will presumably resume Wednesday when the chamber reconvenes at noon.

In the meantime, every Democrat on the floor has unanimously voted for incoming Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., to be speaker (an outcome that’s astronomically unlikely), while conservatives led by the House Freedom Caucus have thrown their support behind Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, who has repeatedly said he doesn’t want the job and is backing McCarthy.

McCarthy knew Tuesday would be an uphill battle and said as much as he left a closed-door meeting with his caucus this morning.

“That’s fine with me,” he said, telling reporters gathered in a Capitol hallway that he holds the distinction of having delivered the longest ever speech on the floor and “I don’t have a problem getting a record for the most votes for speaker too.”

By the end of the three votes, however, even McCarthy seemed to be weary of the spectacle.

Worst of all, by the end of the day, he appeared to actually be losing ground as Republican defectors from his cause rose from 19 to 20 with the last vote.

Following that vote, Florida Republican Rep. Byron Donalds, who had become the 20th defector, suggested taking a break from voting.

“The reality is Rep. Kevin McCarthy doesn’t have the votes,” Donalds wrote on Twitter. “I committed my support to him publicly and for two votes on the House floor. 218 is the number, and currently, no one is there.

“Our conference needs to recess and huddle and find someone or work out the next steps, but these continuous votes aren’t working for anyone,” he continued. “When the dust settles, we will have a Republican speaker, now is the time for our conference to debate and come to a consensus.”

Dan can be reached at dan@thewellnews.com and @DanMcCue

In The News

Health

Voting

Congress

March 31, 2023
by Dan McCue
Thompson Presses For Vote On Background Checks Act

WASHINGTON — Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Calif., is asking House and Senate leaders to call a vote on tougher gun purchase... Read More

WASHINGTON — Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Calif., is asking House and Senate leaders to call a vote on tougher gun purchase background checks in the wake of the tragic mass shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee. Thompson, a Blue Dog Democrat who chairs the House... Read More

March 31, 2023
by Dan McCue
Cuellar Leads Bipartisan Effort to Slash Wasteful Spending

WASHINGTON — Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, is leading a bipartisan and bicameral effort to identify and eliminate wasteful agency spending... Read More

WASHINGTON — Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, is leading a bipartisan and bicameral effort to identify and eliminate wasteful agency spending and save taxpayers money. The vehicle for his effort is the Identifying and Eliminating Wasteful Programs Act, which Cuellar introduced in the House with Rep. Nancy... Read More

March 31, 2023
by TWN Staff
Social Security On Course to Run Short of Cash Ahead of Projections

WASHINGTON — The Social Security Trust Fund is projected to run short of cash by 2033, one year earlier than... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Social Security Trust Fund is projected to run short of cash by 2033, one year earlier than projected last year, according to a report released Friday. The report followed a meeting of the Social Security and Medicare Boards of Trustees, and was released... Read More

March 30, 2023
by Dan McCue
House Passes GOP’s ‘Priority’ Energy Bill

WASHINGTON — The House on Thursday passed the energy bill the new Republican leadership said was its top priority, but... Read More

WASHINGTON — The House on Thursday passed the energy bill the new Republican leadership said was its top priority, but in the wake of the vote, the Senate’s top Democrat said the legislation is dead on arrival in his chamber. “The GOP ‘energy package’ would gut... Read More

March 30, 2023
by Dan McCue
House Dems, Republicans See Very Different Future for Pell Grants

WASHINGTON — A pair of House Democrats are urging their colleagues to revamp the federal Pell Grant program, tying it... Read More

WASHINGTON — A pair of House Democrats are urging their colleagues to revamp the federal Pell Grant program, tying it to the nation’s inflation rate in a bid to tame the rising cost of higher education. But even as they press forward with their plan, a... Read More

March 29, 2023
by Dan McCue
Flummoxed by the Farm Bill? New Primer May Help

WASHINGTON — It is one of the most important bills the Congress regularly deliberates, a sweeping, multiyear package that governs... Read More

WASHINGTON — It is one of the most important bills the Congress regularly deliberates, a sweeping, multiyear package that governs the nation’s food and agricultural programs and has to be reauthorized every five years. And in addition to developing and enacting farm legislation, Congress has to... Read More

News From The Well
Exit mobile version