Closing Summary
It is now 6pm in Washington DC. Here is a wrap-up of the day’s key events:
Jim Jordan, defeated in the Republican vote to decide a nominee for House speaker, plans to vote for the man who beat him, Steve Scalise, when the question comes to the House floor, according to a person with direct knowlege. Scalise will only be able to lose four Republican votes if he is to be confirmed as speaker, presuming all Democrats in the closely divided chamber vote no.
Georgia’s Republican representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has announced that she will not vote for Steve Scalise on the House floor, citing her concerns about his cancer. “I like Steve Scalise, and I like him so much that I want to see him defeat cancer more than sacrifice his health in the most difficult position in Congress. I lost my father to cancer and it’s a very serious battle,” said Greene.
Speaking to reporters, national security council spokesman John Kirby said on Wednesday that the “sooner there is a speaker of the House, the more comfortable we’ll all be in terms of being able to support Israel and Ukraine right now … “That position is critical in terms of bringing legislation to the floor and moving things forward … Because of existing appropriations and existing authorities, we’ve been OK but that’s not going to last for ever,” he added.
Kevin Hearn of Oklahoma issued a statement confirming his run for majority leader, the Republican post previously occupied by Steve Scalise. Hern said: “I am running for majority leader. Once we unify and elect a speaker, our leadership team will need a policy-focused conservative majority leader. I promise you no one will outwork me, listen more carefully, or advance the Republican legislative agenda more faithfully than me.”
The New York Republican representative Anthony D’Esposito announced that he will be introducing an expulsion resolution to remove the Republican George Santos from the House. The resolution is co-sponsored by representatives Nick LaLota, Mike Lawler, Marc Molinaro, Nick Langworthy and Brandon Williams.
Santos said that he will not accept a plea deal and will run for re-election next year. On Wednesday, the New York representative, who is facing a 23-count federal indictment involving fraud and false campaign finance disclosures, told reporters: “I think I’ve made it clear that I will fight this to prove my innocence.”
Several former Ohio State University wrestlers voiced their opposition towards Republican representative Jim Jordan’s speaker candidacy. The former students have accused Jordan of ignoring sexual abuse and failing to protect them from a sexual predator while he was the team’s assistant coach.
Steve Scalise said his first order of business, if elected as House speaker, is to “bring a strong resolution expressing support for Israel … We’ve got a very bipartisan bill…ready to go right away to express our support for Israel,” he said.
The New Hampshire presidential primary filing period started on Wednesday, with the first candidate to register criticizing Joe Biden and paying a chunk of his filing fee in $2 bills, the Associated Press reports. The filing is a ritual unruffled by either a changing of the guard or changes to the nominating calendar elsewhere.
That’s it from me, Maya Yang, as we wrap up the blog for today. Thank you for following along.
Updated
Marjorie Taylor Greene says 'Jim Jordan is the fighter we need'
“I think Jim Jordan is the fighter we need,” said Marjorie Taylor Greene following House Republicans’ vote to nominate Steve Scalise as the next House speaker.
“The speaker of the House is the hardest job in Congress, one of the hardest jobs in the country. It is extremely demanding and it’s very personal to me and I say this with the most compassion.
“My father died in April of 2021 with cancer and I like Steve Scalise … so much that I want to see him put all his time and energy into defeating cancer,” she added.
Speaker of the House is the hardest job in Congress and it’s extremely demanding.
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) October 11, 2023
Our border is wide open and we are still funding a proxy war in Ukraine.
Jim Jordan is the fighter we need to be Speaker of the House in this time of national crisis. pic.twitter.com/i6owpC7Vv8
Updated
Steve Scalise is short of the 217 votes required to win the speaker election, several Republican sources told CNN.
According to one of the sources, there is broad skepticism towards Scalise as a result of an overall lack of trust throughout the GOP leadership.
Scalise is reported to be meeting individually with Republicans in attempts to convince them to support him on the House floor.
Updated
Bernie Sanders has issued a statement on the ongoing violence in Israel and Gaza, calling on the international community to focus on reducing the humanitarian suffering as a result of the war.
“The United States has rightly offered solidarity and support to Israel in responding to Hamas’ attack. But we must also insist on restraint from Israeli forces attacking Gaza and work to secure UN humanitarian access,” he said.
He went on to add:
“Israel’s blanket denial of food, water, and other necessities to Gaza is a serious violation of international law and will do nothing but harm innocent cvilians…
Let us not forget that half of the two million people in Gaza are children. Children and innocent people do not deserve to be punished for the acts of Hamas.”
Bernie Sanders statement on Israel-Gaza violence:
— Jennifer Bendery (@jbendery) October 11, 2023
"The United States has rightly offered solidarity and support to Israel in responding to Hamas’ attack. But we must also insist on restraint from Israeli forces attacking Gaza and work to secure UN humanitarian access." pic.twitter.com/KJSWvAmLHo
A Tennessee mayoral candidate has been accused by members the Franklin city council of refusing to condemn “actual, literal Nazis”.
The Guardian’s Erum Salam reports:
Gabrielle Hanson was at a candidates’ forum on 2 October when she received a visit by members of the Tennessee Active Club, a hate group known for promoting white nationalism. Members of the council, referred to as aldermen in Franklin, rebuked Hanson for enabling such hate groups, according to local news station WTVF.
“I’m not going to denounce anybody their right to be whatever it is they want to be – whether I agree with what they do in their personal life or not,” Hanson said in response to her critics.
Hanson told her colleagues “you reap what you sow”, in reference to the divisions within the community. She also noted that these were “spiritual repercussions”.
On social media, Hanson emphasized that she did not invite the group to the debate and is “categorically” not a Nazi, nor does she support nazism.
For the full story, click here:
Updated
Maryland’s Democratic representative Jamie Raskin asked on Wednesday whether the next House speaker will take a House vote to revive former House speaker Kevin McCarthy’s impeachment inquiry into president Joe Biden.
The so-called "impeachment inquiry" was brought into existence by decree from Speaker McCarthy, who’s now out.
— Rep. Jamie Raskin (@RepRaskin) October 11, 2023
Will a new Speaker take a full House vote to revive McCarthy's inquiry?
Last month, McCarthy announced that he was directing the House to launch an impeachment inquiry into Biden over unproven allegations surrounding his family’s business dealings.
“House Republicans have uncovered serious and credible allegations into president Biden’s conduct. Taken together, these allegations paint a picture of a culture of corruption,” McCarthy said at the time.
Michigan’s Democratic representative Rashida Tlaib said that she does not support “targeting and killing of civilians, whether in Israel or Palestine.”
Speaking to Michigan Adance, Tlaib, who is of Palestinian descent, said, “Fact that some have suggested otherwise is offensive and rooted in bigoted assumptions about my faith and ethnicity.”
.@RepRashida tells @MichiganAdvance Wednesday: “I do not support targeting and killing of civilians, whether in Israel or Palestine. Fact that some have suggested otherwise is offensive and rooted in bigoted assumptions about my faith and ethnicity.” #IsraelPalestineConflict pic.twitter.com/uBTYW8OPp4
— Ken Coleman (@HistoryLivesDet) October 11, 2023
Earlier this week, Tlaib released a statement saying that the “path to that future must include lifting the [Gaza] blockade, ending the occupation, and dismantling the apartheid system that creates the suffocating, dehumanizing conditions that can lead to resistance.”
She went on to denounce the Israeli government and the US’s continued support for it, saying, “As long as our country provides billions in unconditional funding to support the apartheid government, this heartbreaking cycle of violence will continue.”
Tennessee Republican representative Tim Burchett, one of the eight Republicans who voted to oust former House speaker Kevin McCarthy from his seat, said he will vote for Steve Scalise.
“Absolutely,” Burchett said in response to a question from a CBS reporter on whether he would vote for Scalise on the House floor.
JUST IN: Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett, who was one of eight Republicans that voted to oust Kevin McCarthy, says he will support Majority Leader Steve Scalise for House speaker.@MacFarlaneNews: "You're going to vote for Mr. Scalise on the floor?"
— CBS News (@CBSNews) October 11, 2023
Burchett: "Absolutely." pic.twitter.com/LzNiaxJceg
Meanwhile, the curious case of George Santos, the Republican congressman, fabulist and 23-times charged alleged fraudster from New York, continues.
In response to a move to expel him from Congress, mounted by his fellow New York Republicans, Santos has issued a long-winded statement.
Republicans, he says, seemingly reaching for statesmanlike prose, “must remain steadfast in our commitment to upholding due process and respecting the constitution … the cornerstone of our democracy and the guiding light that ensures justice and fairness for all”.
Santos adds:
An expulsion of myself as a member of Congress before being found guilty from a criminal investigation will set a dangerous precedent. This will do nothing other than erase the voices of the electorate. Let us not succumb to the distractions and let the political games take precedence over the people’s welfare. We must stay focused on the task at hand, working diligently to address the pressing issues that affect the lives of our constituents.
“Stay strong my fellow Americans, and trust that the process will unfold as it should.”
In a much briefer statement, the leader of the move to expel Santos, Anthony D’Esposito, said his fellow Republican’s “many deceptions coupled with the ever-expanding legal case against him further strengthen my long-held belief that he is unfit to serve in Congress”.
More:
Jordan will vote for Scalise – source
Jim Jordan, defeated in the Republican vote to decide a nominee for House speaker, plans to vote for the man who beat him, Steve Scalise, when the question comes to the House floor and is encouraging his colleagues to do the same, a source with direct knowledge tells the Guardian’s Hugo Lowell.
Scalise will only be able to lose four Republican votes if he is to be confirmed as speaker, presuming all Democrats in the closely divided chamber vote no.
Matt Gaetz, the Florida hardliner who orchestrated the brutal ejection of the last speaker, Kevin McCarthy, has said today he will vote for Scalise. But other Republicans – the familiar contraversialists Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert among them – have said they will not back Scalise.
The Washington Post points to the biggest problem facing House Republican leaders, causing them to recess the chamber without a vote: too many members of the caucus are currently set to vote for McCarthy.
Some choice selections from the limpid prose of Kevin Hern of Oklahoma, newly announced candidate for the position of House majority leader, in his letter to Republican colleagues:
When my dear friend Steve [Scalise] is sworn in as speaker … we need a majority leader who will work alongside our speaker to help move this conference past the events of the last 10 days.
I believe that my experience outside of Congress makes me uniquely qualified to lead our majority. We need leaders who listen twice as much as they speak, who are conservative because they’ve seen the impact of Democrat [sic] policies firsthand, and who aren’t afraid to change the way things have been done around here.
… I spent 35 years in leadership outside of Washington DC, working with Americans across every aisle and background. The nameplate on my desk said “Head Excuse Eliminator” because I learned through years in business that empowering the people on my team to do their jobs was the most effective way to lead.
… My whole life, I’ve been told I couldn’t be successful, couldn’t go to college, couldn’t become an engineer. I learned at an early age that the harder you work, the luckier you are. I paid my way through college, became an engineer, and got my dream job in aerospace. No one believed in me, but I proved them wrong.
Key fact: Hern made his millions through an empire of McDonald’s franchises, thereby becoming the “McCongressman”, a nickname, Roll Call points out, he has eagerly embraced.
Georgia’s Republican representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has announced that she will not vote for Steve Scalise on the House floor, citing her concerns about his cancer.
In a tweet on Wednesday, Greene said that she voted for Jim Jordan as House speaker on a private ballot and will continue to vote for Jordan on the House floor.
“I like Steve Scalise, and I like him so much that I want to see him defeat cancer more than sacrifice his health in the most difficult position in Congress. I lost my father to cancer and it’s a very serious battle,” said Greene.
“We need a speaker who is able to put their full efforts into defeating the communist democrats and save America,” she added.
I just voted for Jim Jordan for Speaker on a private ballot in conference, and I will be voting for Jim Jordan on the House floor.
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) October 11, 2023
I like Steve Scalise, and I like him so much that I want to see him defeat cancer more than sacrifice his health in the most difficult position in…
Updated
Jim Jordan has offered to give Steve Scalise a nominating speech on his behalf, per a person with direct knowledge.
Additionally, the House will not vote on electing a speaker today, CNN reports.
Updated
“I hope that the House Republicans get their affairs in order so they can stop the chaos and select the speaker of their choosing so that we can move forward and do the people’s business,” the White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
“We’re not part of the process, we’re not going to comment on the process … but we want to see the chaos be done with,” she added.
Updated
Speaking to reporters, national security council spokesman John Kirby said on Wednesday that the “sooner there is a speaker of the House, the more comfortable we’ll all be in terms of being able to support Israel and Ukraine right now”.
That position is critical in terms of bringing legislation to the floor and moving things forward … Because of existing appropriations and existing authorities, we’ve been OK but that’s not going to last forever.
In the immediate term right now, we can continue to support, with the authorities and appropriations we have, Israel and Ukraine, but we’re certainly running out of runway.
Updated
Jim Jordan is reported to meet with Steve Scalise at the Capitol.
NEWS -- JIM JORDAN is coming to the Capitol for a meeting with STEVE SCALISE.
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) October 11, 2023
Earlier, Republicans nominated Scalise to become the next speaker. The vote is set to move to the House chamber next.
Former House speaker Kevin McCarthy said today that he would “back the nominee”, the Washington Post reports.
Updated
Gaetz backs 'legend from Louisiana' Scalise
Matt Gaetz of Florida, the rightwinger who brought down Kevin McCarthy, tells reporters he will vote for Steve Scalise to succeed McCarthy as speaker because Scalise is “an upgrade over McCarthy in every way”.
“There’s a renewed excitement,” says Gaetz (a somewhat divisive figure who as it happens the former Maryland governor Larry Hogan, a possible presidential contender, only yesterday called a “cancer” on the Republican party).
“We’ve got the legend from Louisiana who’s gonna lead us,” Gaetz adds. “And I think that he’ll be invigorating to our activists. I think he’ll be a great communicator to the country and I think he’ll do a great job uniting the Republican conference.”
Scalise, meanwhile, reportedly intends to “reach out” to Joe Biden, to discuss border security matters.
Meanwhile, to repeat, here’s some more on Scalise:
Updated
Here’s an interesting – or to many Republicans, likely rather worrying – thing: Steve Scalise will only be able to afford to lose four votes when his candidacy for speaker comes to the House floor, and at least three Republicans have already said they will not support him.
So far, three House Republicans have said they plan to vote against Scalise on the floor:
— Gabe Fleisher (@WakeUp2Politics) October 11, 2023
• BOEBERT and MAX MILLER — for Jordan
• GIMENEZ — for McCarthy
Assuming full participation, Scalise can only lose four votes on the floor. https://t.co/j7RnoNIsg9
Max Miller, from Ohio, is a former Trump White House aide who experienced controversy before entering Congress. Carlos Giminez, from Florida, is an ally of Kevin McCarthy, the speaker hardliners controversially ejected last week. And Lauren Boebert, from Colorado, is …
… often controversial:
Updated
Kevin Hearn of Oklahoma is out with a statement confirming his run for majority leader, the Republican post previously occupied by Steve Scalise of Louisiana, now the GOP nominee for speaker.
In a tweet (or an … X?), Hern said: “I am running for majority leader. Once we unify and elect a speaker, our leadership team will need a policy-focused conservative majority leader. I promise you no one will outwork me, listen more carefully, or advance the Republican legislative agenda more faithfully than me.”
Here’s the whole thing:
I am running for Majority Leader.
— Congressman Kevin Hern (@repkevinhern) October 11, 2023
Once we unify and elect a Speaker, our leadership team will need a policy-focused conservative Majority Leader.
I promise you no one will outwork me, listen more carefully, or advance the Republican legislative agenda more faithfully than me. pic.twitter.com/Tv3Aw6Anis
Scalise wins GOP speaker vote
“Scalise won” – that was the word from Republicans leaving the meeting to choose the nominee for new House speaker, indicating (before it was confirmed) that Steve Scalise of Louisiana had triumphed over Jim Jordan of Ohio in the race to succeed Kevin McCarthy.
Max Miller of Ohio (who said he was “still voting for Jordan” when the vote goes to the House floor) and Andy Biggs of Arizona were named by the Washington Post as Republicans confirming the outcome.
The paper also reported “lots of applause and roars of ‘yea’ are being heard outside the room” on Capitol Hill, adding: “Maybe a speaker has been elected based on majority votes.”
Chip Roy of Texas, a Jordan supporter from Texas, “left the vote looking grim”, telling a Post staffer “he didn’t want to talk about it, and that he just wanted to get his phone”.
Politico also reported Republicans’ choice, saying: “House Republicans will put Majority Leader Steve Scalise up for speaker. He’ll need to win near-unanimous GOP support on the House floor.”
The Hill added: “The vote tally was 113-99.”
Of Scalise:
Updated
Republican lawmakers to introduce measure to expel George Santos
The New York Republican representative Anthony D’Esposito announced that he will be introducing an expulsion resolution to remove George Santos from the House.
The resolution is co-sponsored by representatives Nick LaLota, Mike Lawler, Marc Molinaro, Nick Langworthy and Brandon Williams.
Today, I’ll be introducing an expulsion resolution to rid the People’s House of fraudster, George Santos. The resolution will be co-sponsored by fellow #NewYork freshman @RepLaLota @RepMikeLawler @RepMolinaroNY19 @RepLangworthy @RepWilliams.
— Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (@RepDesposito) October 11, 2023
Our statement will follow. 🇺🇸
Updated
House Republican George Santos said that he will not accept a plea deal and will run for re-election next year.
On Wednesday, the New York representative who is facing a 23-count federal indictment involving fraud and false campaign finance disclosures told reporters:
“I’m going to continue to fight this as much as I said in the past. Nothing has changed … I think I’ve made it clear that I will fight this to prove my innocence. So yeah, I’m pretty much denying every last bit of charges.
Santos’s comments follow federal prosecutors on Tuesday adding further allegations against him, including a fraudulent credit card scheme and a conspiracy to submit to the Federal Election Commission reports that falsely inflated his campaign fundraising.
Click below for further details on the updated indictment:
Updated
Oklahoma’s Republican representative Kevin Hern is reported to run for majority leader if current chief contender Steve Scalise wins the House speaker nomination.
NEWS: KEVIN HERN will run for majority leader if Scalise moves up and Jordan passes on a race. https://t.co/0ZwbLrCDO3
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) October 11, 2023
House Republicans voting in secret ballot to elect nominee for speaker
House Republicans are now voting via secret ballot to elect their party’s nominee for speaker.
Should Steve Scalise, the majority leader of the House, win the nomination, House Republicans will be required to elect a new majority leader.
Scalise’s chief contender is Jim Jordan, House judiciary committee chair, though it appears that Scalise is favored against Jordan, NBC’s Jake Sherman reports.
HOUSE REPUBLICANS are now voting -- by secret ballot -- to elect their party's nominee for speaker.
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) October 11, 2023
Steve Scalise is favored in the race against Jim Jordan.
Updated
House Republicans are reported to have tabled a motion to change the rules surrounding the speaker vote.
Steve Scalise, one of the chief contenders, has been urging for the tabling over the past several days.
BREAKING -- HOUSE REPUBLICANS have tabled a motion to change the rules on the speaker vote.
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) October 11, 2023
SCALISE's whip operation, which was in overdrive over the last few days trying to defeat the measure.
This puts SCALISE on the brink of the nomination to be House speaker.
Several former Ohio State University wrestlers are voicing their opposition towards Republican representative Jim Jordan’s speaker candidacy.
The former students have accused Jordan of ignoring sexual abuse and failing to protect them from a sexual predator while he was the team’s assistant coach.
One wrestler, Mike Schyck, said: “Do you really want a guy in that job who chose not to stand up for his guys? Is that the kind of character trait you want for a House speaker?”
Another former wrestler, Dunyasha Yetts, told NBC, “He doesn’t deserve to be House speaker. He still has to answer for what happened to us.”
For further details, click here:
Scalise vows support for Israel if elected House speaker
Republican representative Steve Scalise said his first order of business, if elected as House speaker, is to “bring a strong resolution expressing support for Israel”.
Prior to heading to the closed-door nomination meeting, Scalise told reporters:
“The first order of business under speaker Steve Scalise is going to be bringing a strong resolution expressing support for Israel. We’ve got a very bipartisan bill … ready to go right away to express our support for Israel.
Ahead of the GOP closed-door nomination, Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) says his first act as House Speaker, if elected, would be to “bring a strong resolution expressing support for Israel” supported by Republicans and Democrats. pic.twitter.com/GZjxvC4utf
— The Recount (@therecount) October 11, 2023
Updated
House officials have placed their cellphones into yellow envelopes prior to entering the room in which they will decide who the next House speaker will be.
These are the members’ cell phones. They had to put them in yellow envelopes and place it in this pile before they entered the room. pic.twitter.com/bbS8ouTNyZ
— Leigh Ann Caldwell (@LACaldwellDC) October 11, 2023
Washington Post reporter Leigh Ann Caldwell tweeted that a group of New York pro-Kevin McCarthy Republicans were among the last to enter the meeting.
The group “had been discussing if their small [bloc] would block anyone from being speaker. ‘You only need four,’ one said,” tweeted Caldwell.
A group of New York Republicans were among the last to enter the meeting. This pro McCarthy group had been discussing if their small block would block anyone from being speaker. “You only need four,” one said.
— Leigh Ann Caldwell (@LACaldwellDC) October 11, 2023
They met this morning to discuss their options
Updated
As Republicans race to find a speaker to fill the seat that has been left vacant by Kevin McCarthy, many names being thrown into the ring, including those involved in election denials.
The Guardian’s Sam Levine reports:
The speakership battle underscores how Republicans who full-throatedly embraced election denialism continue to have access to positions of power.
It also serves as a startling example of how a small minority of members are able to wield considerable power in a congressional system with few competitive races and little incentive to work within the party structure.
The two leading candidates to be the next speaker, Steve Scalise of Louisiana and Jim Jordan of Ohio, tried to overturn the 2020 election. Both voted against certifying the electoral college vote and signed on to a Texas-led lawsuit at the supreme court to try and get the vote thrown out.
Jordan, a prolific spreader of election misinformation, was a key Trump ally before and after the attack on the US Capitol who refused to cooperate with the panel that investigated January 6.
Meanwhile, months after January 6, Scalise still refused to say the election was not stolen.
If either of them were to become speaker, it would place someone who openly sought to overturn the election in one of the most powerful offices in Washington.
For the full story, click here:
Updated
The New Hampshire presidential primary filing period started Wednesday, with the first candidate to register criticizing President Joe Biden and paying a chunk of his filing fee in $2 bills, the Associated Press reports.
The filing is a ritual unruffled by either a changing of the guard or changes to the nominating calendar elsewhere.
For the first time in more than four decades, candidates will file paperwork with a new secretary of state thanks to the retirement last year of longtime elections chief Bill Gardner. But his successor, David Scanlan, is carrying on the tradition of ensuring New Hampshire remains first, waiting for the dust to settle in other states before scheduling the 2024 contest.
In contrast, the candidates themselves – particularly the long shots – often are in a race to sign up first in hopes that a bit of media attention will boost their campaigns. In 1991, a writer from New York drove 11 hours in a snowstorm only to find another perennial candidate waiting at the door. In 2007, a Minnesota fugitive living in Italy sent a package by courier that arrived just before an ex-convict embarked on a 90-minute rant that included five costume changes.
This year, the first to sign up was Mark Stewart Greenstein, who arrived at the Statehouse at 6.30am and paid his $1,000 filing fee in cash, including $400 in $2 bills. Greenstein, a Democrat from West Hartford, Connecticut, said he plans to be on the ballot in five states.
“This is a choice for no Joe Biden,” he said before entering the statehouse to file. “There should be a way for Democrats to express that they don’t like their frontrunner. I’m not his replacement, I’m not going to be around next November. But you can say as a voter, ‘I’m a voter who is dissatisfied.’”
The candidates have until 27 October to sign up, and dozens are expected to do so in part because it’s relatively cheap and easy. They need only meet the basic requirements to be president, fill out a one-page form and pay the filing fee.
New Hampshire, with its state law requiring its primaries to be held first, is defying the Democratic National Committee’s new primary calendar which calls for South Carolina to kick off voting on 3 February, followed by New Hampshire and Nevada. The shakeup came at the request of President Joe Biden in a bid to empower Black and other minority voters crucial to the party’s base.
Updated
The full US House of Representatives is due to convene at 3pm ET and it is far from certain that Republicans currently meeting behind closed doors to try to decide on their own nominee for speaker will have coalesced around a candidate by then.
But if/when they have and that name is brought to the floor to begin the full vote for the speakership, House Democrats aren’t planning to vote for the GOP’s choice of either Steve Scalise or Jim Jordan, of course; they plan to nominate their own person – House minority leader and New York congressman Hakeem Jeffries – for speaker. Dems don’t have the votes to elect Jeffries to become speaker but they’ll be eager to show unity in contrast to the Republicans who are in disarray.
There’s talk of a speaker perhaps being elected to take the gavel today (minor miracle) or tomorrow (GOP hopes) but it could take longer if the GOP conference remains so sharply divided and with only a tiny handful of votes within their thin House majority to spare.
Updated
House Republicans will hold an internal vote on Wednesday morning to determine who – if anyone – can garner enough support to win the speakership, after Kevin McCarthy was ousted from his position in a historic defeat last week.
Two House Republicans, majority whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana and judiciary committee chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio, have launched formal campaigns for the speakership, and they have each received dozens of endorsements from fellow conference members.
But it remains very unclear whether either man can secure the support of a majority of the House, given Republicans’ razor-thin majority in the lower chamber. If all 433 current House members participate in the vote, Scalise or Jordan can only afford four defections within the Republican conference and still win the speakership.
Until a new leader is chosen, the Republican congressman Patrick McHenry of North Carolina will continue serving as the acting speaker as the House remains unable to conduct other business.
No chamber-wide vote on the speakership has yet been scheduled. Asked whether Republicans would be able to hold a full House vote on Wednesday, McHenry said on Monday: “That’s my goal.”
Republicans hope they can choose a speaker by the end of the week and avoid the spectacle that unfolded in January, when McCarthy required 15 rounds of voting to win the gavel. A quick election would allow Republicans to turn their full attention to the situation in Israel, following this weekend’s attacks staged by Hamas. Many House Republicans are anxious to pass a bill providing aid to Israel, but they cannot do so until a new speaker is chosen.
Full report here.
Updated
Capitol Hill is going to be abuzz on Wednesday as House Republicans strive to overcome deep divisions in their own conference and pick a nominee for speaker.
They will then, at some point, try to get that candidate voted in by a majority of the full House and awarded the gavel, so that Congress can resume normal business.
This is the first day the House convenes officially since a hard-right faction of Republicans engineered the ousting of speaker Kevin McCarthy a week ago. The core legislative business of the House is at a halt, with a temporary speaker in place. Other important functions such as being able to pass resolutions to express lawmakers’ positions in the Israel-Hamas war are at a standstill since the House was placed on recess immediately after McCarthy was axed last Wednesday.
But while this plays out in the lower chamber of Congress today (the Senate is out), readers who also want to keep up with other major topics simply need to turn to the Guardian’s global team of journalists.
We have full coverage of the Israel-Hamas conflict that exploded on Saturday with Hamas rockets and fighters roaring out of Gaza to target Israelis in the nearby southern region of the country. But we also have a global live blog running around the clock on the issue. The war is only escalating amid a horrifying death toll of Israelis and Palestinians (and a small but significant number of foreign nationals/dual citizens) and the holding of Israeli and international hostages in Gaza by Hamas militants. That blog is here.
Ukraine’s counteroffensive against the Russian invasion that began 20 months ago continues, with future funding from the US on a knife-edge amid divisions in the House amid Republicans and between Republicans and Democrats. We have a global live blog on the war in Ukraine here.
And the Guardian just days ago launched a dedicated European edition online, our fifth online edition to accompany the US, UK, International and Australian editions. That’s here.
Updated
Republicans gather to thrash out choice for new House speaker
Republicans in the US House of Representatives are convening on Wednesday to battle over who to nominate to become the new speaker of the House, replacing Kevin McCarthy, who was booted out on the instigation of a hard-right faction in the lower chamber of Congress.
The House doesn’t official convene for business until 3pm ET but Republicans will meet behind closed doors from 10am ET to begin thrashing things out. They plan to debate whether to change the nominating rules for their selection for the speakership and they aim to begin balloting internally on a nominee to present to the full House for a vote.
Rightwinger and House Republican majority leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana is up against the brash Jim Jordan of Ohio, a diehard Trumpist whom former president Donald Trump has endorsed for the speakership.
Neither emerged ostensibly ahead after a House Republican “candidate forum” behind closed doors on Tuesday night.
Will the conference vote to change the rules so that they have to battle behind closed doors until they select an unbeatable nominee with 217 votes who will be elected swiftly on the House floor, or will they knock down that proposal and require only a simple majority of their number to send a nominee to the House floor and risk a spectacle of public disagreement?
Senior House Republicans already described their own conference at the weekend as experiencing political “civil war” and, especially amid the real-life war escalating between Israel and Hamas – and calls for more funding for Ukraine’s counteroffensive against the Russian invasion – most agree that House business needs to get moving again.
Updated
Divided House Republicans meet to battle over new speaker
Hello and welcome to today’s US politics blog, bringing you the news as it happens amid high tension in Washington over both domestic and world events.
House Republicans will begin gathering on Wednesday morning at the Capitol to thrash out behind closed doors who they will nominate to be the next speaker of the House after an extremist faction engineered the ousting of Kevin McCarthy last week, aiming to send a nominee to the House floor for a full vote as soon as possible.
And Joe Biden and his senior leadership are heavily focused on the terrible conflict that erupted between Israel and Hamas on Saturday after militant attacks out of Gaza into southern Israel, as the death toll of Israelis, Palestinians and foreign nationals continues to rise.
Here’s what’s afoot:
House Republicans will reconvene behind closed doors on Capitol Hill this morning to try to coalesce around a nominee for speaker, after a candidate forum in private last night failed to mark either of the declared contenders, right-wingers Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan, as the frontrunner.
The GOP House “civil war” – senior Republicans’ own description of the discord in their own conference – is far from conducive to the party’s aim, and the wider government’s hope, that a speaker can be nominated and sent to the House floor for a full vote on Wednesday or Thursday.
US state department spokesman Matthew Miller warned this morning on CNN in a live interview that the known death toll of US citizens resulting from the conflict that’s only escalating between Israel and Hamas is likely to rise today. It currently stands at 14, with an additional 20-plus Americans “unaccounted for” and possibly among hostages taken by militants into Gaza.
Joe Biden is due to speak in Washington at 11.45am ET, officially on the topic of hidden junk fees, but he has been speaking out forcefully against the attacks by Hamas Islamist militants and could use the opportunity to say more on that or other topics.
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