GOP Move To Empower Temporary Speaker Falls Apart

October 19, 2023 Politics, Republicans

Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, said this afternoon that “two-thirds” of the Republican House members oppose empowering McHenry, and have mentioned “four or five” names besides Jordan’s.

“I oppose the resolution for a very simple reason. We were elected by three quarters of a million people, each and every one of us to lead, not kick the can down the road,” Fallon said.

Leaving the Republican meeting, Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla., said the resolution to empower McCarthy appears dead. “I feel like people are starting to get clarity of how much of a mess has been made through this motion to vacate and it has taken us further away from the work that we were hired to do,” she said.

Read the full article.

In tense closed-door meeting, several GOP members urged Rep. Jim Jordan to drop his bid for the speakership, but he is not embracing those calls, according to multiple sources.

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) October 19, 2023

THINGS not going so great in GOP conference, which turned heated, I’m told.

At one point, Gaetz was told to sit down by McCarthy and refused, then Rep. Bost “got all emotional” and “was cussing at him” and “telling him it’s all his fault,” one member said.

— Melanie Zanona (@MZanona) October 19, 2023

“I told him to sit down and he sat down.”

Rep. Kevin McCarthy didn’t mince words on his exchange with Rep. Matt Gaetz during a GOP closed-door meeting on the House speaker vote, calling it a “difficult situation.”

LATEST: https://t.co/n2hrQavFgk pic.twitter.com/1fKy6Ky2Ow

— ABC News (@ABC) October 19, 2023

Per a source in the room, McCarthy screamed at Matt Gaetz to sit down when he went to the mics, with the source saying Rep. Bost “almost lunging at him.”

— Juliegrace Brufke (@juliegraceb) October 19, 2023

Lawmakers are leaving the GOP closed-door meeting saying the resolution to empower MCHENRY is dead.

A third speaker election is possible today.

— Ken Tran (@knthtrn) October 19, 2023

BREAKING — JORDAN says he expects another speaker vote.

Says he wants to meet w the 20 nos.

— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) October 19, 2023