The Republican nominee for Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, was rejected again in the seventh congressional vote after conservatives experienced an internal rebellion since Tuesday, which means that the chamber is still deadlocked because he cannot. Starts activities without appointing a president.
In this new round of voting, McCarthy received 201 votes from the Republican Party, the same as in the previous day’s voting. Democratic candidate Hakeem Jeffries got 212. 19 rogue conservative congressmen voted for Republican Byron Donald, one fewer than on Wednesday, as ultra-Republican Matt Gaetz of Florida, who criticized McCarthy, voted for Donald Trump. Republican congresswoman Victoria Spartz once again abstained. In all, 20 defiant Republicans, plus abstentions.
The majority required for the presidency is 218 votes if all members of the House support it. Republicans control 222 seats to Democrats’ 212. This narrow majority means that virtually all conservatives must vote for the same candidate to be elected.
The regulation does not provide for any other alternative to continue repeating votes until someone reaches the necessary majority. Until the lower house appoints a president, he will not be able to begin his work with the new congressmen elected in last November’s midterm elections, in which the Republicans won a majority.
McCarthy is the first House Speaker candidate in 100 years to fail to win the first ballot.
Concessions
Republican opposition to McCarthy was led by some members of the House Freedom Caucus, a far-right group pushing for changes to House rules.
On Wednesday, McCarthy agreed to some of the rebels’ demands, As reported by CNN. The concessions, which were not enough for the rebels, are related to internal rules in Congress to more easily initiate a vote to expel the speaker from the House of Representatives. The hard-nosed congressmen also want to increase the presence of members of the Freedom Caucus on the powerful House Rules Committee. In addition, they want to allow floor voting to set term limits for members and pass specific legislation on border policy.
Freedom Caucus Chairman Scott Perry insists there is “no deal”. Perry accused McCarthy’s camp of “leaks” that “difficult trust.” The congressman is “completely dissatisfied.” “I will not give up on the status quo,” he concluded.
Some moderate Republicans have considered conceding, reports say The Washington Post. They vowed in December never to support a package of rules that would give a House member the power to ask for a vote to impeach the president. At present, it is necessary that half of the parties agree to hold the vote.
The Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF), a fundraising group linked to McCarthy, also reached an agreement Wednesday not to invest money in campaigns where Republicans have secured the seat, a key demand of hard-line Republicans. Some representatives accuse the Republican candidate of funding more moderate candidates in the November midterm elections, in which conservatives managed to wrest control of the lower house from Democrats, but fell far short of their good results. A lot of media. predicted.
“I’m ready to vote all night, all week, all month, and never for this person,” ultra-Republican Getz said Wednesday, according to the AP agency.
This is not the first time that the most conservative wing of the Republican Party has left McCarthy without the House Speaker. In 2015, he gave up his candidacy because he could not get the necessary support from the conservatives.
“It’s a shame,” says Biden
This Wednesday, shortly before the three ballots, Donald Trump unsuccessfully asked Republicans to endorse McCarthy. However, an hour earlier refused Will he continue to support the candidate? “Republicans, don’t turn a big win into a giant, embarrassing loss. It’s time to celebrate, you deserve it. Kevin McCarthy will do a good job and maybe even a great job,” Trump said on Truth Social.
Ahead of Wednesday’s vote, US President Joe Biden called the House deadlock “disgraceful” amid divisions among Republicans and warned conservatives that “the rest of the world is watching”. The leader of the House of Representatives is the third-in-command in the country, after the President and Vice President Kamala Harris, who also presides over the Senate.
Source: El Diario
