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RECORD DYSFUNCTION On the 15th try ... the GOP elects a Speaker and the 118th Congress can start its work ... Message from Katie Porter Original article: Peter Burgess COMMENTARY Peter Burgess | ||
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On the 15th try
January 7th, 2023 12:54 PM
from Katie Porter for Congress ... Katie Porter Peter, In the very early hours of Saturday morning, I was finally sworn in to Congress, after Republicans officially elected Kevin McCarthy as Speaker—on the fifteenth try. Kevin McCarthy was able to win the support of his caucus by promising to empower extremists and further tip the scale towards special interests. Americans deserve better than Kevin McCarthy’s loyalty to some of the most hateful members of his party. Now, I’m glad to be back home in California and ready to continue serving Orange County families. Katie If you’re curious about why the House was at a standstill all week, check out this email I sent on Thursday explaining the process of electing a Speaker. Hey Peter, I emailed you on Tuesday saying I would be sworn in…well, turns out, the Republicans’ inability to elect a Speaker means that didn’t happen. This is highly unusual, so let me explain what’s going on: To be elected Speaker of the House, a Member needs a majority of the votes (that magic number is 218). Typically, the party in power figures out who they’ll be electing in advance, and the Speaker vote is largely ceremonial. But this year, twenty Republicans have decided to oppose the presumed Speaker, Kevin McCarthy. Without their votes, McCarthy doesn’t have the majority he needs to be made Speaker. We don’t know what is happening behind closed doors in the Republican caucus, but Kevin McCarthy’s only move at this point is to continue bringing this vote to the floor. And each time (we’ve voted on this six times already!) he fails to win the majority. So who is going to be Speaker of the House? The very real answer is I’m not sure! Here’s what I do know: The House can’t do *anything* until we have a Speaker. We can’t swear in Members, we can’t operate committees, we can’t vote on bills. That’s just how Congress operates. We need a Speaker of the House in order to proceed. For the foreseeable future, I will be here in D.C., waiting for Republicans to cut the BS and elect a Speaker. It’s been 100 years since a Speaker failed to be elected after a first vote, so we’re all guessing what the next move will be. This certainly does feel like an episode of a political TV show—I’ll be sure to keep you updated. Katie Porter
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