Speaker Vacancy Stymies House Work
For the first time in American history the Speaker of the House of Representatives has been removed from the Speakership. While Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) maintains his seat in the House, he, by virtue of being on the short end of a 216-210 vote, is no longer Speaker of the House. A small insurgency, led by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) fostered the removal of McCarthy along with the backing of the entirety of the Democrats present on Tuesday, October 3.
As though the struggle for McCarthy to become Speaker in the first place, a draining 15 rounds of voting in January, wasn’t challenging enough, a rule imposed that any single House member could seek the removal of the Speaker, put McCarthy in a position of tap dancing on the head of a pin. Just because someone has the right to do something, doesn’t mean he or she should exercise that right. Good judgment is often the better part of valor and Gaetz picked an inopportune time to display his poor judgment.
Hopefully upon selection of the next Speaker of the House the power of one member to seek the ousting of the Speaker and upend all other House business will be rescinded. It is not healthy to have a revolving door in the Speakership simply because one House member is disgruntled or has an ax to grind – this did not seem to be the intent of the Founders and Framers of the United States government upon inception more than 240 years ago.
Gaetz pulled the trigger on removing McCarthy because Gaetz claimed McCarthy did not keep his word regarding appropriations bills – wanting 12 separate bills instead of an omnibus bill lumping all expenditures into one behemoth of a bill. With 12 individual appropriations bills it would be more efficient and easier to exact deeper cuts to the spending, which has been out of control for decades, regardless of which party is in the majority.
But in an effort to stave off a government shutdown once the deadline for the appropriations passed, McCarthy worked with Democrats to pass a short-term spending bill – another deadline of November 17 looms on the horizon. The temporary stopgap, known as a “clean Continuing Resolution,” simply continues spending at the current levels – not necessarily a good thing, but it keeps the government functioning (which, granted to some, is not a good thing).
Gaetz held his ground and followed through with his effort to have McCarthy removed over what Gaetz felt was disloyalty to the party. “A vote for a continuing resolution is a vote to continue the Green New Deal, a vote to continue inflationary spending, and the most troubling of fashions, a vote for a continuing resolution is a vote to continue the election interference of Jack Smith. We told you how to use the power of the purse: individual, single-subject spending bills that would allow us to have specific review, programmatic analysis and that would allow us to zero out the salaries of the bureaucrats who have broken bad, targeted President Trump or cut sweetheart deals for Hunter Biden,” said a somewhat grandstanding Gaetz from the House floor on September 12. Somewhat grandstanding, because what Gaetz said is true and accurate, but the more immediate issue at hand, avoiding a government shutdown, took immediate precedence, which McCarthy defended.
“At the end of the day, keeping the government open and paying our troops was the right decision. I stand by that decision. If I have to lose my job over it, so be it,” said McCarthy.
And as politics makes strange bedfellows, it took eight Republicans – seven strong conservatives and all 208 voting Democrats to sink McCarthy. Those eight Republicans are Andy Biggs (AZ), Ken Buck (CO), Tim Burchett (TN), Eli Crane (AZ), Matt Gaetz (FL), Bob Good (VA), Nancy Mace (SC), and Matt Rosendale (MT).
Mace, the more moderate of the anti-McCarthy octet, said her vote was “about trust and keeping your word.” McCarthy “has not lived up to his word on how the House would operate.” Mace supported McCarthy for Speaker in January. Even conservative stalwarts such as, Lauren Bobert (CO), Byron Donalds (FL), Paul Gosar (AZ), Anna Paulina Luna (FL), Mary Miller (IL), Ralph Norman (SC), Scott Perry (PA), and Chip Roy (TX) who voted against McCarthy for Speaker in January, voted to retain him now, except Luna who is on maternity leave. Six other members also did not vote due to absentia: Cori Bush (D-MO), John Carter (R-TX), Lance Gooden (R-TX), Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) – attending the funeral of Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Mary Sattler Peltola (D-AK), and Emilia Strong Sykes (D-OH).
While there were some Democrats who supported the recent spending bill, all 208 Democrats present voted to oust McCarthy. This is a GOP civil war and it is not up to the Democrats to save McCarthy, yet had four Democrats voted with the 210 Republicans, McCarthy’s Speakership would have survived by a vote of 214-212. Four Democrats with solid bona fides in their districts that could survive some pushback could have worked with McCarthy behind the scenes for a future quid pro quo. Jerry Connally (VA), James Clyburn (SC), Debbie Dingell (MI), Lloyd Doggett (TX), Steny Hoyer (MD), Ro Khanna (CA), James McGovern (MA), Frank Pallone (NJ), Bill Pascrell (NJ), and Dean Phillips (MN) come to mind. Any four of them could have made some backroom deal with McCarthy to save his bacon with little consequence at home.
Now, thanks to Gaetz and his shortsightedness, the House is closed for business until a new Speaker is elected. Gaetz is being vilified by Republicans in and out of Washington and he did not come armed with a plan. Gaetz should have had one or two GOP members willing to stand for a vote to become Speaker that same day. Instead, no sooner than Tuesday October 10 or Wednesday October 11 will the Republican caucus begin the process of selecting a new Speaker. Gaetz, in this instance, is not being self-serving, announcing he has no desire to become Speaker.
Gaetz did suggest a few members, including House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (LA), as “the type of person I could see myself supporting. I could see myself supporting Tom Emmer (MN). I could see myself supporting Mike Johnson of Louisiana. I could see myself supporting Jodey Arrington of Texas. I could see myself supporting Kevin Hern of Oklahoma,” said Gaetz.
As of this writing both Scalise and Jim Jordan (OH) have tossed their hats into the ring for Speaker. Both received votes in January for this post, yet neither was a nominated candidate. It begs the question, what changed for these two House members since January? I like both Scalise and Jordan, but Scalise is recovering from blood cancer, thus my support would be with Jordan, who I would have preferred in January in the first place. Former President Donald Trump announced his endorsement of Jordan.
The bottom line is, Gaetz may have had good intentions based upon why he wanted McCarthy out, yet the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and as the New York Post reported on Wednesday, “The Gaetz of Hell,” seemed an apt headline, given the predicament the GOP now finds itself. Jordan will be a stronger Speaker; a stronger leader who is more fiscally conservative – to which the GOP must aspire.
Serious spending cuts must be made starting with every penny dedicated to the millions of illegal aliens roaming around this country. Cuts to duplicate programs, cuts to unnecessary research programs that could be funded by universities or the private sector in general, cuts to those government personnel deemed “non-essential,” government funded public-private projects such as electric vehicles and any other government sponsored corporate welfare initiatives/bailout funding should all be sliced and diced. It is high time the GOP stop behaving like Democrat-lite, get spending under control, stop printing money as though it were bathroom tissue, stop being afraid of the Democrats and their media lapdogs – they don’t like us to begin with, pandering to them will change nothing but to make the GOP weaker, which it can ill afford. Unite behind one strong Speaker candidate and get back to the business of protecting this country, fixing the economy, sealing the border, and yes, making America great again. If not now, when? If not us, who?
I wonder at how this will play out given the, erm, recent events.
Is this going to be something that gives Gaetz more power or is he going to say something like “Like the CIA, I had no idea this was coming” and get lockstep with everybody else in the caucus?Report
I doubt he cares. He’s in a safely gerrymandered district where his personal political future is not likely impacted in the next year by this.Report
For future speakers, I suggest taking a leaf out of Germany’s book. The German Chancellor can only be removed from office by having a new Chancellor elected to replace them. It’s called a “constructive vote of no-confidence”.Report
Interesting and deeply flawed view of government spending.
Take university research – most of it is funded by NIH, NSF, DoD, NOAA, and a host of other agencies through competitive grants. Cut that and there is not enough private sector money to go around.
Don’t like government picking business winners and losers via subsidies? Then we better see ethanol and sugar at the top of the list. Want to kill off infrastructure bill spending – fine, just be ready for a wave of bridge closings and collapses that snarl up our ever more congested highways.
And then we come to “non-essential” Feds. A designation I detest since I’m in it. But beyond that, contracting officers are non-essential under current furlough rules (which is where the legal definition of that term exists). I can see problems laying them off what with IG after IG filing reports for decades screaming that we don’t have enough of them for building our ships or planes or weather satellites. For that matter, administrative law judges who handle immigration matters are non-essential in a furlough – which is amusing since their overworked underfunded system is something you seem to want to expand the use of.
Finally – show me the numbers on how we can remove the 11 w or so undocumented migrants in the US without seriously damaging the housing, agricultural and meat packing industries who rely heavily on migrants. People who committed one civil crime of entering the US without papers under a system that won’t give most of those papers in an economy desperate for their services. I remain deeply skeptical it can be done – to say nothing of my fears of the police state necessary to do it.Report
To add some numerical context – the President’s Budget Request for 2024 includes $101.2 Billion for federal agencies to fund research of all kinds. The 2023 Appropriation was for $97.7 Billion. DoD was appropriated $797.6 billion for the same period.Report
Steve Scalise of Louisiana has won the secret ballot contest to be the GOP speaker nominee, 133 – 99. It remains to be seen if he can whip his opponents into line for a solid vote.Report
Correction 113-99Report
As far as I can tell, he’d be the first speaker to have been shot prior to getting the job since the 1800’s.Report
That’s weird, but I think you’re right. I’m sure Jim Wright was shot *at* as a bombardier during WWII, but there’s no mention of a Purple Heart.Report
Alas:
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He couldn’t get 217. None of them can. They beclown themselves as the world watches, points and laughs. But sure, remind me again why the GOP should be in charge of anything anymore?
https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/13/politics/house-republicans-speaker-fight/index.htmlReport
I wonder if this would benefit from more transparency. What do the 8 holdouts want?
What do the 205ish want?
Maybe we could find enough common ground to shame them into making a deal with the dems!Report
The 8 want deep budget cuts, a national abortion ban, and other far right legislation that 1) will never pass in the Senate and 2) is deeply unpopular with Americans including their own constituents. GOP moderates can offer them nothing to get them to back down, and any GOP moderate who votes with Democrats will be primaried from the right in the spring. The 8 are also generally in “safe” GOP districts created by gerrymandering, so they will be assured of reelection no matter how they behave. And there is no incentive for the Democrats to help them because there is no legislative priority or concession anyone in the GOP can offer that won’t cost the GOP current members in the next election.
The GOP has backed themselves into this hilarious and dark corner because they consider Democrats illegitimate in governing. They can not capitulate their way out of this.Report
Welp, then I guess we’re stuck.
Pity we can’t use the “they should be pragmatic and willing to compromise on their principles” argument…Report
Use it all you want. it would be a nice return to the prior version of “normal.” Just understand the people driving this fiasco see no benefit to compromise. And the people adjacent to them in the GOP see less benefit to compromise then to letting the fight go on. Democrats can’t offer them anything to change their analysis.
Is it maddening – you bet. But its also a logical conclusion of the desire to be a minority party ruling – not governing – a world superpower.Report
Hey, the democrats should be pragmatic and willing to compromise on their principles in order to get a speaker elected.Report
To Philip’s point that’s the paradox the Republicans have worked themselves into. The more moderate the Republican the more dangerous compromise has become. Make a deal with the Democrats and you lose a primary to whatever nut Republican primary voters fancy, and maybe even end up turning the seat blue.Report
Maybe turn the seat blue?
I’m not seeing a downside for the dems to offer easy terms. They don’t even have to say “WE WILL HOLD OUT ON ABORTION!” or anything like that.
“Sure. We’ll let you vote on that. We’d be happy to make sure you guys can vote on that. We just want a speaker again. For the good of the country.”Report
Oh I agree they shouldn’t be asking for much. My proposed price is below. A reasonable bipartisan budget. It’s the GOP that’s too paralyzed to do even that. The only thing the Democrats can’t do is give support 100% free of charge (and they haven’t even been asked to), which is just normal legislative politics.Report
Let’s hope we don’t find out how much we need a House.
They’d best hope we don’t find out how little we need one.Report
I think their hope is that a critical mass of the voting public looks at this situation and says the GOP is not capable of governing so we should vote for Democrats instead. That’s totally normal and the way things are supposed to work. The same forces should be pushing the Republicans to get their act together so they can make the case to keep and expand their majority. Conditions should favor them given Biden’s low approval ratings and ongoing discontent about inflation. And yet they can’t even govern themselves much less make a pitch.Report
They are completely useless and unable to govern.
I hope they get thrown out on their keisters.Report
Not to sound snarky, but I honesty don’t think ‘capable of governing’ is a voting category.
I mean that seriously. Like ‘governing’ isn’t something the guy/gal you’re voting for does, it’s what all the other people you aren’t voting for prevent.Report
I don’t want to overstate the potency. The Democrats fortunes will be determined by a lot more than how badly the GOP shoots itself in the foot. But it’s not like ‘we are for stability and keeping the government functioning so we can serve the people and solve your problems’ is some unheard of message, particularly in the face of high visibility disarray by the other side.Report
what do you think they can offer the GOP as a compromise?Report
“A speaker” is the first thing that comes to mind.Report
Hakim Jeffries has been nominated again by his conference to run. The GOP won’t schedule an election until they have a candidate. And here we are.Report
All the Democrats should be asking for in exchange for support is a reasonable, bipartisan budget that includes a combination of cuts and tax increases to lower the deficit. That this is a bridge too far for the GOP with a razor thin majority is all anyone needs to know.Report
BINGOReport
We need to put up billboards with a picture of Nancy Pelosi saying “Miss Me Yet?”Report
Let’s not. It’d only seem witty to those already in the tent.Report
Huh.
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