US House to vote on Tuesday in struggle to elect speaker

arifnsn October 15, 2023

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The US House of Representatives, paralysed for the past two weeks amid a leadership fight among Republicans, will vote on Tuesday in its latest attempt to elect a speaker, members were told on Sunday.

The blockage in the House for one of the most powerful positions in US politics – second in line to the presidency – has few precedents. Members have grown increasingly frustrated as the absence of a speaker has prevented action on key spending measures and kept the chamber from reacting to crises like the Israel-Hamas war.

While a temporary speaker, Patrick McHenry, was named after the surprise ousting on October 3 of Kevin McCarthy, his replacement has few real powers.

Former House speaker Kevin McCarthy. Photo: AP

McCarthy fell victim to sharp divisions between Republican moderates and a small core of far-right backers of former president Donald Trump.

After a tense week marked by several reversals, Ohio lawmaker Jim Jordan, a former wrestling coach who is close to Trump, is currently the only announced candidate for the job – but he appears far from having the needed backing to be elected to the powerful post.

The vote on Tuesday is set for noon local time, its outcome far from certain.

“It’s time to get to work,” Jordan said on X, the former Twitter, as he urged his colleagues to bury their differences and rally around his candidacy.

Republicans nominate Trump-backed Jim Jordan for speaker of paralysed US House

Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel, a historic ally of the US, has added to the pressure for a new speaker.

Congress also needs to act on aid for Ukraine. And it faces a November 17 deadline to act on the budget and avert a possible government shutdown.

The Democratic Party of US President Joe Biden is in a minority in the House – though only barely so – and essentially plays a spectator’s role to the Republican drama.