GOP leaders 'embarrassed' by speaker debacle: 'We can’t govern'

23 October 2023

Longtime Republican elected officials are growing increasingly wary of the House GOP's inability to elect one of its own to be Speaker of the House.

CNN noted that in a recent appearance on ABCs This Week, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) expressed fears that his party is harming itself more and more by the day as the speaker's race continues to drag on.

"This is probably one of the most embarrassing things I’ve seen because if we don’t have a speaker of the House, we can’t govern," said McCaul. "And every day that goes by, we’re essentially shut down as a government."

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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) joined the chorus, lamenting on CBS' Face the Nation that the legislative branch of the federal government is effectively shut down, since the US Senate can't pass bills on its own if the House of Representatives is not in regular order.

"We need (a speaker) because the House can’t do anything without a speaker," McConnell said.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-California) also didn't mince words in an appearance on NBC's Meet the Press. The ousted former speaker said the ongoing drama over who would inherit the speaker's gavel was "embarrassing for the Republican Party" and the United States.

"You've got to understand why we were here. Eight Republicans, led by [Florida Congressman Matt] Gaetz, have created this chaos by joining every single Democrat and voting to shut down one branch of government," McCarthy said, adding that he was personally endorsing House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minnesota) in his bid for speaker.

"We need to get [Emmer] elected this week and move on," McCarthy said. "Bring this, not just party together, but focus on what this country needs most."

In addition to Emmer, eight other Republicans have thrown their hat in the ring. Reps. Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana), Byron Donalds (R-Florida), Kevin Hern (R-Oklahoma), Jack Bergman (R-Michigan), Austin Scott (R-Georgia), Pete Sessions (R-Texas), Gary Palmer (R-Alabama), and Dan Meuser (R-Pennsylvania) are all also vying to become the next Speaker of the House. Punchbowl News founder Jake Sherman noted that with the exceptions of Emmer and Scott, all candidates voted against certifying the 2020 presidential election. Emmer, however, did add his name to an amicus brief supporting an effort to throw out electoral college votes for President Joe Biden in several swing states.

The House Republican Conference will be holding a candidates' forum Monday night, and has a secret ballot vote scheduled for Tuesday to decide who will become the conference's next speaker designee. A first ballot on the House floor is slated for Wednesday morning.

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