Republicans made their fourth pick in just two weeks to replace the ousted speaker of the US House of Representatives, underlining the chaos engulfing the fragmented party after three previous nominees failed to win the gavel.
The GOP has picked Congressman Mike Johnson as their latest nominee for the Speaker of the House of Representatives. The fourth nominee comes put forward after three others failed to win enough support from colleagues, and the second nominee of the day.
The US House has been for three weeks trying unsuccessfully to choose another Speaker and has been unable to pass any bill since Kevin McCarthy was ousted on October 3.
Why is the Speaker Important in US?
The speaker of the House of Representatives is a powerful position in the US. The speaker is “the presiding officer of the House and is charged with numerous duties and responsibilities by law and by the House rules.”
The speaker calls the House to order, refers the bills to committees, appoints committee members, rules on points of order and recognizes members on the floor.
As per the Presidential Succession Act, passed to supplement Article 2 of the Constitution, the speaker also stands second in line to the presidency, after the vice president, in case of the president’s incapacity.
Is it a Constitutional Crisis or Something Bigger?
The house is currently presided by a temporary speaker, US Rep Patrick McHenry, a Republican from North Carolina.
The House remains in limbo with action needed as budget deadlines loom and a war between Israel and Hamas threatens to escalate out of the territory. President Joe Biden has asked Congress to provide $105 billion in aid — to help Israel and Ukraine amid their wars and to shore up the US border with Mexico. Federal aviation and farming programs face expiration without action.
As per a report in The Conversation, the US is facing a constitutional crisis as the constitutionally mandated processes for resolving conflict have failed to provide any solutions.
The federal government risks a shutdown in a matter of weeks if Congress fails to pass funding legislation by a Nov. 17 deadline to keep services and offices running. The failure of the federal government, the country’s largest employer, to pay salaries to its employees is expected to cause financial disruption to millions.
Why are the Republicans Divided?
Since the past three weeks, the Republicans have been unable to decide on a candidate as they have refused to unify over a common candidate. Republicans have been flailing all month, unable to conduct routine business as they fight amongst themselves with daunting challenges ahead.
The far-right members won’t accept a more traditional speaker and moderate conservatives don’t want a hardliner. While Johnson had no opponents during the private roll call, some two dozen Republicans did not vote, more than enough to sink his nomination.
With Republicans controlling the House 221-212 over Democrats, any GOP nominee can afford just a few detractors to win the gavel.
What to Expect from Mike Johnson?
Louisiana’s Mike Johnson won an internal party vote after previous nominee, Majority Whip Tom Emmer, buckled under a backlash led by former president Donald Trump and announced his withdrawal.
However, the predictions show that Johnson will likely fall foul of the same internal divisions that have left the party incapable of uniting around any leader.
If Johnson succeeds in the Speaker’s election, he would be the least experienced speaker in more than a century, having never chaired a committee or held a top leadership role.
He would also be expected to lead the deeply fractured conference through upcoming fights over funding for Ukraine and Israel in their conflicts with Russia and Hamas.
Johnson moved up to the House from state-level politics in 2017. He has been famous as a driving force among more than 100 Republicans who signed on to a legal brief supporting a lawsuit seeking to overturn the 2020 election results in four swing states won by Biden.
(With inputs from agencies)
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