Rep. Jim Jordan has a chance for a second vote to be elected speaker of the House, but his chances don’t look good. On Tuesday’s vote, he got just 200 of the 217 votes he needed, and a planned second vote didn’t happen. Reporting suggests that opposition has grown. Given all that, and with no obvious Republican alternative, the possibility of increasing Rep. Patrick McHenry’s powers as speaker pro tempore is gaining steam.
Punchbowl News reports that Jordan could lose another 10 votes during today’s expected vote. CNN’s Manu Raju puts the number at more like five—i.e., 25 Republican no votes in total—but that’s still a far cry from claims before the first vote that Jordan would gain strength on a second vote. But while Jordan is a particularly divisive figure, no Republican seems to be able to unite their party on a speaker vote, leading to the big question: What comes next?
The answer may be an effort, likely led by Republican Rep. David Joyce, to increase McHenry’s authority, which is currently limited to overseeing the election of a new speaker. That move, too, would require 217 votes—meaning it would almost certainly require Democratic support. However, Punchbowl reports, “Republicans don’t anticipate negotiating with Democrats over the proposal — at least at the outset.” But while House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and some other Democrats have suggested there could be a route to their cooperation, they won’t bail out Republicans for free. They’re going to have some demands.
Last week, some Democrats expressed support for a plan in which McHenry’s powers would be expanded for 15 days at a time before requiring a revote. That could be coupled with other guardrails to ensure that, for instance, the House voted on aid for both Israel and Ukraine. And if McHenry tried to bully his way through like a typical House Republican, he wouldn’t get the next 15 days.
The plan is gaining support but “has its problems,” a Republican member of the Problem Solvers Caucus told Axios. “We will need Dems for everything. Rules. Legislation." Well, yeah, that’s what happens when your party can’t or won't govern on its own.
If Jordan holds a second vote and fails again, or if he pulls back from another vote he’d lose, Joyce would likely try to introduce a privileged motion to empower McHenry. That would require a vote within two legislative days. The wrinkle in this? Axios reports: “[T]he plan is dependent on McHenry recognizing Joyce on the House floor – which is not a guaranteed outcome.”
In short, we’re in for another interesting day in the House.
Daily Kos will have live coverage of whatever happens, be it another vote on Jordan, Jordan abandoning his speaker candidacy, moves to expand McHenry’s powers, or sheer chaos.
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