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The US House of Representatives was no closer to electing a new Speaker on Thursday, after Republican lawmakers rejected a plan to give a temporary Speaker powers to lead the lower chamber and pass crucial legislation including funding for Israel and Ukraine.
The latest roadblock threatens to extend weeks of chaos that have paralysed Congress, as divisions among Republicans, the House’s majority party, leave the chamber unable to carry out legislative duties.
Earlier on Thursday, Jim Jordan, a congressman from Ohio and a staunch Donald Trump ally who the party nominated for Speaker last week — but who was defeated twice in floor votes in recent days — endorsed a plan to make Patrick McHenry a caretaker leader until early next year.
But after hours of heated discussions earlier this week, Jordan emerged from a closed-door meeting of Republicans and told reporters the plan had been scrapped.
“We made the pitch to members on the resolution as a way to lower the temperature and get back to work. We decided that wasn’t where we were going to go,” Jordan said.
He vowed he would keep working to be elected Speaker, but did not say when the House would hold another ballot.
“I am still running for Speaker, and I plan to go to the floor, and get the votes, and win this race. But I want to go talk with a few of my colleagues, particularly I want to talk with the 20 individuals who voted against me, so that we can move forward and begin to work for the American people.”
Thursday’s developments marked the latest twist in a tumultuous several weeks on Capitol Hill that started with the removal of Kevin McCarthy, the former Speaker, at the hands of a rebellion led by Florida Republican Matt Gaetz.
McCarthy told reporters he had shouted at Gaetz in Thursday’s meeting and blamed him for the continued chaos in Congress.
“The whole country, I think, would scream at Matt Gaetz right now,” McCarthy said.
Gaetz separately told reporters that he was opposed to any move to name a temporary Speaker.
“I am against Speaker lite . . . I believe it is a constitutional desecration to not elect a Speaker of the House. We need to stay here until we elect a Speaker.”
The failure to replace McCarthy has wreaked havoc on Washington and prevented Congress from considering important pieces of legislation, from new military aid for allies to funding for the federal government.
The White House is gearing up to ask lawmakers to approve a sweeping national security package that would include billions of dollars in additional foreign aid but the House cannot legislate until a new Speaker is selected.
The impasse has exposed sharp divisions in the Republican party and laid bare the challenges of governing with a razor-thin majority at a time of deep polarisation in Washington.
Jordan is the latest Republican lawmaker who has tried to coalesce support for his candidacy for Speaker and became the nominee last week after winning a secret ballot of GOP House members.
But the firebrand congressman has failed to convince enough members of his party to support his candidacy in a floor vote. Because Republicans control the lower chamber by a narrow margin — and Democrats steadfastly voted for their own candidate — Jordan cannot afford to lose more than a handful of votes from his own benches.
Twenty Republicans voted against Jordan in an initial ballot earlier this week on the House floor. He fared even worse in a second ballot on Wednesday when 22 Republicans voted against him.
Jordan’s Republican critics have taken issue with everything from the former wrestling coach’s pugilistic attitude to his steadfast support for Trump and refusal to acknowledge that Joe Biden won the 2020 US presidential election.
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