House adjourns after the 11th ballot in the voting for speaker
On the eleventh ballot, the House of Representatives failed to pick a speaker, creating dubious history as the bitter impasse that has paralyzed the House continued. Since before the Civil War, this ordinarily routine election has received the fewest votes cast.
As Republican leaders voiced modest confidence that an agreement to instal GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy in exchange for significant concessions was coming closer, the House adjourned Thursday night until noon Friday to buy more time for negotiations.
After the session ended
McCarthy told the media in a laid-back manner, “It's not how you start, it's how you finish.” “We'll be really successful if we finish well.”
A solid core of about 20 Republicans say they will continue to oppose McCarthy because he is too closely associated with the establishment. As a result, McCarthy has now lost on 11 ballots since Tuesday. The 12th ballot might be cast as soon as Friday noon.
One of the 20, Pennsylvania Republican Scott Perry
tweeted, “We're at a Reagan moment – ‘trust but verify.'” “Since the devil is in the details, we'll take our time to make sure everything is ideal rather than convenient. The current quo has to change in some way.”
Members-elect are limited to voting on McCarthy's fate and taking calls from people they can't yet assist while the House remains without a leader. They are not allowed to create committees, hold hearings, or demand that federal agencies respond to their help requests.
His attempts to garner enough support from the GOP
to win the position have failed. Infighting is consuming what has historically been a straightforward one-ballot vote, which could undermine the job — if he wins it — and demonstrate that it will be difficult to manage the Republican-led House this year.
Day 3 conclusions: The speaker standoff continues as “never Kevin” Republicans claim that Kevin McCarthy is untrustworthy.
The most recent changes are as follows:
- Back again: The House met following a morning and evening of negotiations between McCarthy, his allies, and his adversaries, including the possibility of McCarthy making concessions that would give Republican rebels more influence in the new Congress.
- McCarthy's return? McCarthy has received a total of 10 nominations (three each on Tuesday and Wednesday and four times on Thursday – so far). The California representative was the Republican's first choice to become speaker, but a group of Republicans refused to support him.
- What will occur on the third day? The members will keep voting. The voting will continue up until a speaker is chosen. With members-elect not sworn in, missing security clearances, and the lower House still unable to act, the House is still immobilized.
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