The House of Representatives is voting on its next speaker

Table Of Content

• Ronna McDaniel's challenger for RNC chair says after losses like midterms, leaders should 'move on'
• Rep.-elect Andy Harris switches vote to McCarthy, marking 15th flip Friday
• Republicans who opposed Jordan for speaker are now rallying behind Johnson
• George Santos refuses to answer questions about resume lies while promising to support McCarthy
• Jeffries doesn't condemn Cori Bush's statement that Byron Donalds 'being Black' makes him a 'prop'
• Johnson, who came in second, helping Emmer flip holdouts: "We are going to finish this tonight"

Such steps, however, would inevitably prolong the process of approving spending bills. When Representative Chip Roy of Texas, then a freshman and now one of Mr. McCarthy’s most vocal opponents, forced roll call votes on every amendment in spending bills in 2019, the process of approving them dragged on for two weeks. Proponents of earmarks argue that they allow rank-and-file lawmakers to deliver for their constituents and smooth the process of keeping the government running, by giving members of Congress a tangible reason to vote in favor of spending bills.

Ronna McDaniel's challenger for RNC chair says after losses like midterms, leaders should 'move on'

A deal appears to be in sight that would give Kevin McCarthy the speaker's gavel. Referring to the deal, Norman "this is the first time we had it, today...a piece of paper to look at." The vote to adjourn was largely split along party lines, with 219 Republicans in favor and 212 Democrats against.

Another Republican joins effort to oust Johnson, putting the speaker in real peril - NBC News

Another Republican joins effort to oust Johnson, putting the speaker in real peril.

Posted: Fri, 19 Apr 2024 16:51:26 GMT [source]

Rep.-elect Andy Harris switches vote to McCarthy, marking 15th flip Friday

The House is now voting to pass a resolution in support of Israel in the war against Hamas – the first measure to come to the floor to be passed after Speaker Mike Johnson was elected this morning following three weeks of a speakerless-House. In 2018, 15 Democrats defected from Pelosi but she can only afford to lose a few in 2021. After losing a dozen seats in 2020, House Democrats are likely to control around 222 seats next term. The shift from Democrats is noteworthy given their lockstep support of the motion to vacate that led to the ouster of Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., in October, which ultimately resulted in Johnson’s getting the gavel. Members tried to remove speakers in previous congressional terms, but no motion ever reached the floor for a vote. Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., was nominated as an alternative Republican candidate to McCarthy in the first round, a move he said he would make after he challenged McCarthy in a GOP conference meeting late last year.

Republicans who opposed Jordan for speaker are now rallying behind Johnson

Representative Mike Johnson, a little-known social conservative from Louisiana, emerged on Tuesday night as the latest contender for the post after Representative Tom Emmer of Minnesota, the No. 3 House Republican, dropped his bid only hours after securing the nomination. Mr. Emmer’s downfall followed a swift backlash from the right, including former President Donald J. Trump, that left his candidacy in shambles and the G.O.P. as divided as ever. Representative Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the No. 2 House Republican and the first to be nominated for speaker following Mr. McCarthy’s ouster, was ultimately seen as insufficiently pro-Trump by too many of his colleagues. In the years before he arrived in Congress in 2017, Mr. Johnson worked as an attorney and spokesman for the anti-abortion-rights and anti-gay group Alliance Defense Fund — now called the Alliance Defending Freedom. During that time, he expressed some of his hard-line views in editorials in the local newspaper in his hometown of Shreveport, La. In Congress, Mr. Johnson has voted for a national abortion ban and co-sponsored a 20-week abortion ban, earning him an A-plus rating from the anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America.

Rep.-elect Michael McCaul of Texas said Thursday he thinks about half of the 20 Republicans will be swayed by the deal, which means McCarthy might still have to chip away at the remaining opposition. In light of these developments, lawmakers say McCarthy could be in a position to become the next speaker over the next few days, barring additional requests for changes along the way. "I’m never getting sworn in am I?" Rep-elect Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, tweeted Thursday afternoon, as members were anticipating another round of votes. A new deal could deliver some new votes to McCarthy that have so far been voting against him.

The candidates were Reps. Byron Donalds of Florida, Chuck Fleischmann of Tennessee, Mark Green of Tennessee, Mike Johnson of Louisiana and Roger Williams of Texas. Johnson won 128 votes, and Donalds received 29 votes, and there was a vote of "present." McCarthy, who was not a nominee, received 43 votes. Although Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was not in the running, he received more votes than Donalds in the final round. Majority Leader Steve Scalise threw his support behind Johnson late Tuesday, calling him a "dear friend" in a statement. "Due in large part to those usurpations, the election of 2020 has been riddled with an unprecedented number of serious allegations of fraud and irregularities," the House Republicans alleged.

Jeffries doesn't condemn Cori Bush's statement that Byron Donalds 'being Black' makes him a 'prop'

The Speaker’s contest started on Tuesday with 19 Republicans refusing to back McCarthy for the speakership and as the week wore on the total had grown to 21 members. The scuffle happened between Reps-elect Mike Rogers, R-Ala., and Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., after the 14th House speaker vote failed. One of the most influential speakers in history was Democrat Sam Rayburn.[48] Rayburn had the most cumulative time as speaker in history, holding office from 1940 to 1947, 1949 to 1953, and 1955 to 1961. He helped shape many bills, working quietly in the background with House committees. He also helped ensure the passage of several domestic measures and foreign assistance programs advocated by Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry Truman.

'I don't know why we would even vote,' says McCarthy ally

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene maintained Sunday that she plans to follow through with an effort to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson if he doesn’t resign after the House passed a $95 billion package that includes foreign aid for Ukraine. "This is not about personality differences or who has 'earned' the position," Bishop said. "It's about serving the American people. I will not be supporting the status quo." "Kevin McCarthy is not the right candidate to be speaker," Bishop said in a statement.

Boebert stressed McCarthy still "doesn't have 218," the number of votes necessary to become speaker. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy just entered a closed meeting with what appears to be supporters of his in the Capitol. Rep.-elect Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., and other other rank-and-file Republicans were also spotted heading into the meeting. McCarthy, Donalds and Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries were the only three nominated ahead of the seventh vote.

This could mean the House continues to work and vote throughout the weekend if they are unable to reach a majority Friday, when they reconvene at noon. Florida Rep.-elect Matt Gaetz on Thursday made headlines when he voted for former President Donald Trump during the seventh ballot for speaker of the House, replying "Donald John Trump" when his name was called during the roll call vote. Rep.-elect Byron Donalds, R-Fla., flipped his vote Friday to support Kevin McCarthy's bid for House speaker, and told Fox News Digital that he trusts McCarthy will "do the job necessary to lead" the GOP conference and the chamber. Rep.-elect Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., gained support in the 13th round of voting for House speaker but failed to gain a majority of votes which is needed. Rep.-elect Byron Donalds told reporters Friday he trusts Kevin McCarthy to "do the job necessary" as House speaker after flipping his vote to support the California Republican. As the office has developed historically, however, it has taken on a clearly partisan cast, very different from the speakership of most Westminster-style legislatures, such as the speaker of the United Kingdom's House of Commons, which is meant to be scrupulously non-partisan.

Rep.-elect Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., a member of the House Freedom Caucus, nominated Rep.-elect Kevin Hern to speaker. The ninth vote ties the number of votes needed in 1923 to decide on a speaker – 2023 will now exceed that, as a 10th vote will be needed at least. McCarthy's allies are hopeful that agreeing to some of these procedural demands can bring along most of the 20 GOP lawmakers who have been consistently voting against him. However, some Republicans have insisted they will never give McCarthy their support.

To show support for racial equality, Mr. Johnson in the past has told audiences that he and his wife adopted a Black teenager they met through an evangelical youth group — like the movie “The Blind Side” but without the N.F.L. prospects, he has quipped. He said that millions of unborn children had lost their lives because of what he called a “legal fiction that the Supreme Court foisted upon this country” and said that “God will bless us” for the court’s decision. But even more than his election denialism, Mr. Johnson’s political career has been defined by his religious views. “The slates of electors were produced by a clearly unconstitutional process, period,” he said.