Republicans, who control the U.S. House of Representatives, on Wednesday, October 11, 2023, nominated Steve Scalise to serve as Speaker, following last week’s ouster of Kevin McCarthy.
58-year-old Scalise, who is currently number two on the Republican leadership ladder, must still win approval from the full House before he can claim the Speaker’s gavel.
Republicans control the chamber by a narrow 221-212 majority.
Republicans picked Scalise over the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Jim Jordan, in a secret ballot vote behind closed doors on Wednesday.
It remains to be seen whether Jordan’s backers will support Scalise when his nomination comes up for a vote in the full House. McCarthy in January had to endure 15 rounds of voting before clinching the speakership.
According to Reuters, Republican lawmakers rejected a proposal to require that the nominee secure 217 votes out of the 221-member caucus.
READ ALSO: Kevin McCarthy removed as U.S. Speaker
The proposal was intended to ensure that the nominee could succeed on the House floor if the chamber’s 212 Democrats united in opposition as expected.
Republicans said they need to quickly resolve a leadership vacuum that has prevented the House from addressing the war in Israel, approving more aid to Ukraine, and passing spending bills before current funding runs out on November 17.
“It’s really, really important that this Congress get back to work,” Scalise said.
Scalise and Jordan told Republicans at a closed-door forum on Tuesday night that they would each back the candidate chosen as nominee.
It took only eight Republicans to oust McCarthy last week, a fact that could make leading the caucus a challenge for any new Speaker.
While McCarthy was the first Speaker in U.S. history to be removed in a formal vote, the last two Republicans to hold the job wound up leaving under pressure from party hardliners.
Americans have little confidence in Congress’ ability to overcome its partisan differences – and the Republican infighting that led to McCarthy’s historic ouster on October 3.
Some 64 per cent of respondents to a Reuters/Ipsos poll last week said they did not believe Washington politicians could put aside partisan disagreements for the good of the nation.
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