House Republicans, according to the incoming Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA), are in “historic turmoil” as a result of GOP leader Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) unrelenting pursuit of the position of next speaker of the House.
After a conservative coalition stopped the California Republican’s effort to become speaker in the sixth round of voting, the House adjourned on Wednesday. On Thursday morning, the House Democratic leadership conducted a press conference where they criticized the Republican party’s inability to unite behind a leader.
Kevin McCarthy is currently being held captive by the dangerous people that he has encouraged, according to Clark. “Let’s examine the fanatics in control. Vote-whipping is done by Lauren Boebert. They have Matt Gaetz as their representative, and he is negotiating the rules.
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Incoming House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) has received the support of her caucus on all speaker ballots, and Clark stated her group will remain in place over the weekend in case more voting is required.
“We’ve arrived. We have everybody here. And we will continue to be such,” she declared.
Jeffries stated during the press conference that although there has been correspondence with McCarthy, it has only been on procedural issues. Democrats won’t aid Republicans in electing a speaker, the New York representative emphasized.
Ronald Reagan and Tip O’Neill got along well. Ted Kennedy and Orrin Hatch got along well. Joe Biden and John McCain got along well. Nancy Pelosi and John Boehner get along well. Antonin Scalia got along well with Ruth Bader Ginsberg. All we’re asking is that House Republicans cooperate. “With each other,” remarked Jeffries.
When asked if Democrats had discussed putting up conditions in exchange for aiding Republicans in securing enough votes to elect a House speaker, Jeffries responded that the answer is negative, in a nutshell.
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In particular, with politicians on Capitol Hill preparing for a political showdown over raising the country’s $31.4 trillion borrowing ceiling this spring or summer, the protracted debate over who will be the next speaker raises concerns about how the House will be able to govern. The debt ceiling rise is a crucial issue that the new Congress must approve, and Republicans, particularly in the House, view it as crucial leverage.
Conservative holdouts in the House are pressuring the next speaker to oppose a clean debt limit rise, setting up a big conflict with Senate Democrats and President Joe Biden that may have a significant impact on the economy.
We are getting closer to a historic default on our debt with each day that passes without Congress organizing. That is a difficulty, Jeffries said. And because we will soon reach the debt ceiling, we need to start working on that right away.
He declared, “One thing we won’t do is let radical MAGA Republicans try to hold the American economy hostage.
