GOP rep says Republicans would rather 'yell and scream' than govern

Don Bacon, the Republican congressman from Nebraska, had harsh words for the far-right contingent of his party amid the battle to find a new Speaker of the House.

“These guys want to be in the minority. I think they would prefer that, as they can just vote ‘No,’ and yell and scream all the time. But governing, you have to work together,” Bacon told CNN correspondent Manu Raju in a clip posted to X. Bacon also said that the hoopla puts Republicans like him in swing districts in danger of losing their seats.

Don Bacon, the Republican congressman from Nebraska, had harsh words for the far-right contingent of his party amid the battle to find a new Speaker of the House.

“These guys want to be in the minority. I think they would prefer that, as they can just vote ‘No,’ and yell and scream all the time. But governing, you have to work together,” Bacon told CNN correspondent Manu Raju in a clip posted to X. Bacon also said that the hoopla puts Republicans like him in swing districts in danger of losing their seats.

The turmoil in the House sparked after Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) made good on his threats to oust former speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) earlier this month. In September, Gaetz promised to file a motion to vacate the speakership every day. Gaetz first filed his motion on October 3—and it was successful after eight Republicans broke ranks and voted alongside every Democrat to dump McCarthy.

READ MORE: 'No closer to picking a speaker': House a 'complete and utter mess' as Republicans trash each other

Earlier this week, Bacon slammed the Republicans who voted against McCarthy.

“I condemn the eight people who did this to our party. We are sitting vacant at a time there’s a need. We have to get a Speaker in position. We need to support Israel right away, and we have a continuing resolution that’s going to stop in mid-November. We gotta fix this,” Bacon told reporters Wednesday.

House Republicans are expected to meet at 10 a.m. Friday to choose a new Speaker nominee. Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA), the House Majority Leader, was first nominated, but dropped out of the race over doubts he could muster the 217 votes needed to win.

The far-right members of the party are backing Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-OH). Pundits expect Republicans to put Jordan forward as a nominee next. Jordan has former President Donald Trump’s backing, though he comes with controversy.

Former athletes at Ohio State University, where Jordan was an assistant wrestling coach until 1994, have come out against him. They allege Jordan ignored sexual abuse by team doctor Richard Strauss during his time at the school. Jordan denies the allegations, saying he never heard of any abuse happening. However, Jordan also declined to participate in an investigation into the abuse allegations.