Is the House still working without a Speaker?

Two weeks ago, a small group of fringe Republicans removed their own Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy, the first time a motion to vacate a sitting speaker has been successful. The unprecedented move has left the lower chamber of Congress in turmoil as the fractious members of the House GOP struggle to settle on a replacement.

While House Republicans seek to find someone that they can support, all business in the lower chamber of Congress has come to a halt. Rep Patrick McHenry currently holds the gavel as ‘Speaker pro tempore’, a novel position that is untested and meant to be a temporary place-holder until a permanent Speaker is elected.

Is the House still working without a Speaker?

Congress has a number of issues on its plate that need to be taken care of, but the lack of a Speaker in the House of Representatives has put business in the lower chamber on hold. Part of the reason McCarthy was ousted resulted from him reaching over the aisle to get Democratic support to avoid a government shutdown. The temporary funding bill that was passed with help from the non-Republican opposition will only last until 17 November.

Members of Congress are also seeking to pass legislation to extend aid for Ukraine to resist against the ongoing Russian invasion and occupation. Additionally, lawmakers want to provide aid to Israel after it was attacked by Hamas, setting off the latest crisis in the Middle East.

There are questions swirling around whether the Speaker pro tempore has the authority to bring legislation to the floor for a vote by members of the House. The position has only been around since 2003 and was created in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in order to have a succession procedure in the event the Speaker were killed or incapacitated.

McHenry and House aides view the position as a mere place-holder to preside over the election of a new Speaker. More centrist Republicans want to pass a resolution that would more clearly define the role and its authority, allowing the Speaker pro tempore bring legislation to the floor.

But that would require a vote and it is unclear if there would be enough from Republicans to pass. Democrats would most likely want to secure rule changes and commitments that they could bring forth legislative priorities to get their backing.

The current place-holder could attempt to bring legislation to the floor to test the waters. Were a lawmaker to challenge the move, it would have to be put up to a vote among the representatives in the lower chamber. If the majority were in favor of allowing the bill to move forward, the House could take it up for consideration.

No one Republican has united the factions

Last week, the party’s No. 2, Steve Scalise, threw his hat in the ring to become Speaker of the House but quickly withdrew his name from consideration when it was apparent that he did not have enough support. Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, who had been the runner-up in the nomination process, took up the baton. However, the firebrand, who has been called “a legislative terrorist” by fellow Ohioan former Speaker John Boehner, faced a steep uphill climb to persuade sufficient members of the GOP to vote for him.

After a pressure campaign over the weekend, Jordan forced a vote on Tuesday to have his fellow Republicans elect him Speaker of the House. However, 20 members of his party rejected his nomination denying him the speakership. He could only afford to lose four votes.

It’s unclear whether he will be able to sway those members before he makes another attempt expected on Wednesday morning.