Lawmakers Begin Voting On New Speaker Of The House

We’re voting for two things at once. We’re voting first for speaker and a plan for the next 75 days.

United States Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) on the vote to elect a new speaker of the House, which will also allow the House to continue working to prevent a potential government shutdown; the voting process begins Wednesday.

Why It Matters: Following last week’s unprecedented ousting of former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), the House must elect a new leader. The front-runners are House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH). Some lawmakers have noted that the process of electing a new speaker could be long and tricky, as the new leader requires 217 affirmative votes – which could take time to obtain. The voting process begins on Wednesday morning (first with Republicans behind closed doors to elect a nominee, and then on the House floor).

Important Context: The attack on Israel adds urgency to choosing a new leader because the House cannot pass further legislation to assist Israel without a Speaker in place.

Having ousted Kevin McCarthy, House Republicans are hitting trouble trying to nominate a new speaker (The Associated Press)

Scalise, Jordan make final pitches as House Republicans’ speaker vote looms (The Washington Post)