BREAKING NEWS: Kevin McCarthy loses SEVENTH ballot for speaker and Matt Gaetz votes for TRUMP in third day of House farce: Rebels dig in and keep casting votes for rivals despite Republican leader giving them major concessions
Embattled GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy has lost a seventh round vote for House Speaker on Thursday, further fueling the chaos that’s engulfed his party and paralyzed Capitol Hill.
House lawmakers wearily made their way back to the US Capitol as Republicans’ fight over who will lead their thin majority spills into a third day.
GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy‘s bid for the House Speakership was derailed by conservative rebels, who an ally of his dubbed the ‘Taliban 20.’
The House adjourned on Wednesday evening after a raucous vote on whether to call it a night.
Just before 9pm last night, House Democrats’ new No. 3 Rep. Pete Aguilar called for individual votes to be cast after the voice vote proved inconclusive.
Four Republicans joined Democrats in trying to drag out the session for more votes – which would have likely resulted in additional losing rounds for McCarthy – but ultimately the vote fell 216 to 214 for adjournment.
At the US Capitol just now, McCarthy told reporters, ‘I’m confident we will reach a solution otherwise we won’t be successful.’
U.S. House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) arrives in the House Chamber during the third day of elections for Speaker of the House at the U.S. Capitol Building on January 5, 2023 in Washington, DC
The historic gridlock has paralyzed Capitol Hill; with no Speaker, the 118th House of Representatives cannot be sworn in, and new legislation cannot move to the floor or through committees – which do not have formal chairs yet.
And on Wednesday, a group of Republican military veterans held a press conference warning that the disarray was leading to significant national security vulnerabilities. Florida Rep. Michael Waltz said from the podium, ‘Authoritarian regimes all over the world are pointing to what’s going on in the House of Representatives and saying, Look at the messiness of democracy, look at how it doesn’t work, can’t function.’
It’s been reported that McCarthy made some significant new concessions to his 20 detractors, including a measure that would allow one GOP lawmaker to trigger a vote for a new House Speaker, according to CNN – known as motion to vacate the chair.
In addition to the motion to vacate the chair being set at one vote, McCarthy has also reportedly promised conservatives votes on border security and term limits legislation.
He also reportedly agreed to giving more spots on the House Rules Committee to members of the hardline-right House Freedom Caucus. The powerful panel acts as a gatekeeper for any legislation that comes to the floor.
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