Speaker House vote today LIVE: Republican Mike Johnson wins floor ballot to take gavel

Table Of Content

• House reconvenes as McCarthy's bid for speaker stands on shaky ground
• House SpeakerJohnson Elected Speaker of the House, Ending Weeks of Chaos
• Tempers flare in GOP conference meeting as opposition to McHenry plan grows
• McCarthy offers to keep defense spending at 2022 levels in deal to holdouts
• Republican who backed McCarthy votes ‘present’ in fourth round of voting for House speaker
• McCarthy enters GOP Conference meeting as he makes latest plea for speakership support

McCarthy failed to collect the 218 votes needed to clinch the speaker of the House spot after a sixth round of votes on Wednesday. Nearly 50 conservative heavyweights co-signed a statement on Wednesday, calling for a change in House GOP leadership in Washington, while applauding the 20 members of Congress who voted against Kevin McCarthy, the current House Minority leader. Rep.-elect Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., who has been floated as a possible candidate if McCarthy were to drop out, said there were “multiple meetings happening right now” in an effort to unify the GOP, which  has been unable to agree on a speaker for the last two days.

House reconvenes as McCarthy's bid for speaker stands on shaky ground

McCarthy has already offered a compromise, saying he would allow any five members to initiate a vote to remove the speaker. He then laughed when asked if he'd back a Speaker Steve Scalise if McCarthy fails to get the votes needed. In a bid to keep the threshold high, House Democratic Whip Kathleen Clark of Massachusetts urged all Democrats to stay on the floor for as long as it takes.

House SpeakerJohnson Elected Speaker of the House, Ending Weeks of Chaos

After the Supreme Court voted to overturn Roe v. Wade in June last year, he celebrated. Over a year later, on “Truth Be Told,” the Christian podcast he hosts with his wife, Kelly, Mr. Johnson continued to argue that he and his colleagues had been right to object to the election results. In December 2020, Mr. Johnson collected signatures for a legal brief in support of a Texas lawsuit, rooted in baseless claims of widespread election irregularities, that tried to throw out the results in four battleground states won by Joseph R. Biden Jr. “We went through a lot to get here, but we are ready to govern and that will begin right away,” Johnson says in his first news conference as speaker. “From an outside point of view these last few weeks probably look like total chaos, confusion, no end in sight," he said. "But from my perspective, this is one of the greatest experiences of the recent history of our republic."

Tempers flare in GOP conference meeting as opposition to McHenry plan grows

Spartz cast her vote after talking to Rep.-elect Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., a top aide to Kevin McCarthy, who has been trying to secure 218 votes to win the speaker’s gavel. As the fifth round of voting continued Wednesday afternoon, McCarthy had already lost five votes to Rep.-elect Byron Donalds, R-Fla. Donalds was nominated in the fourth round of voting as well, and took 20 votes from McCarthy. The first two votes Tuesday included 19 votes for candidates besides McCarthy, which became 20 after Rep.-elect Bryon Donalds flipped to the anti-McCarthy side in the third vote. After six votes in two days, House Republicans still do not have a consensus candidate for speaker, and 20 GOP holdouts remain opposed to Rep.-elect Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., for the job. One of the group, Dan Bishop of North Carolina, went so far as to say he would resign from Congress if they are unsuccessful in their effort to bring about institutional change in the House – which they do not trust McCarthy to deliver.

Democrats weigh helping Johnson avoid being ousted as House speaker - The Associated Press

Democrats weigh helping Johnson avoid being ousted as House speaker.

Posted: Thu, 18 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Representative Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the No. 2 House Republican and the first to be nominated for speaker following Mr. McCarthy’s ouster, was ultimately seen as insufficiently pro-Trump by too many of his colleagues. In the years before he arrived in Congress in 2017, Mr. Johnson worked as an attorney and spokesman for the anti-abortion-rights and anti-gay group Alliance Defense Fund — now called the Alliance Defending Freedom. During that time, he expressed some of his hard-line views in editorials in the local newspaper in his hometown of Shreveport, La. In Congress, Mr. Johnson has voted for a national abortion ban and co-sponsored a 20-week abortion ban, earning him an A-plus rating from the anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America.

Yesterday, Jeffries, along with Democratic Whip Katherine Clark and Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar released a statement saying that Democrats will continue to leave the Republicans to elect their own leader. Several of the 14 Republicans who backed Rep. Kevin McCarthy in his bid for speaker for the first time today — in vote No. 12 — are shedding some light on why they changed their vote. Spokespersons for the White House told reporters that they hope the situation is resolved soon, but that in the meantime, the White House is keeping members informed, and agencies are working with House offices where possible. Rosendale just voted for Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, meaning McCarthy will most likely not have the votes he needs to secure the speakership. First, House committee staff will not be paid and student loan repayments will be paused beginning Jan. 13 should the continued voting rounds bleed beyond next week. This is because “no committee will be able to process payroll since the committee’s authority for the new Congress is not yet confirmed,” according to guidance issued to committees Dec. 29 in preparation for the transition to the 118th Congress shared with NPR.

'I'm not going anywhere:' McCarthy not backing down from speaker bid

Rep. Kevin McCarthy gets his 12th nomination for speaker, this time by Rep. Mike Garcia of California. He nominated Jordan for speaker, praising his "pure, selfless intent" and seeking to paint McCarthy in contrast as motivated by his own personal ambition. After Gaetz spoke about McCarthy's fundraising efforts for Republican candidates, several people stood up from their seats and shouted back. A staunch McCarthy opponent, Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., began voting for Kevin Hern, R-Okla., during the ninth round of voting yesterday.

"We only control one chamber, and I barely have control of that," Johnson said Thursday on Newsmax, explaining why he couldn't include GOP immigration measures in the package as some wanted. The House's move followed a vote of 9-3 in the Rules Committee late Thursday to send the bills to the floor for a final vote, with Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., Chip Roy, R-Texas, and Ralph Norman, R-S.C., breaking with Johnson to vote against it. But all four Democrats on the committee voted for the rule and rescued it, an extremely unusual move for the minority party. But Jordan offered no roadmap Friday morning showing his path to 217 votes, the number of Republican votes he needs if all members vote for a candidate.

McCarthy enters GOP Conference meeting as he makes latest plea for speakership support

Fox News' Aishah Hasnie asked him if he's cut a deal yet to which he replied "no." "I actually like having people in Congress that can’t be pushed around," he continued. "The problem is that while this is very personal for Matt, the consequences of his actions are damaging to America, people who actually want him here, and quite honestly him." Florida Rep.-elect Matt Gaetz and Arizona Rep.-elect Andy Biggs are leading the movement, with Gaetz telling Fox that he is unlikely to vote for McCarthy under any circumstances.

House Republican infighting getting worse after foreign aid vote - The Washington Post

House Republican infighting getting worse after foreign aid vote.

Posted: Mon, 22 Apr 2024 21:46:00 GMT [source]

That would lower the threshold for McCarthy and could potentially help him win the Speakership – depending on WHO is absent. Kevin McCarthy late Friday failed to succeed in his 14th bid for House speaker after indicating confidence in a victory and two of his GOP opponents appeared to clear the way for a victory by voting "present." After chaos erupted in the House chamber following the 14th failed vote to determine the next House Speaker, Republicans motioned to adjourn for the weekend. A chaotic night on the House floor culminated after midnight Saturday with Republicans rallying behind Kevin McCarthy to elect him speaker. The scuffle happened between Reps-elect Mike Rogers, R-Ala., and Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., after the 14th House speaker vote failed. The House is scheduled to start voting at noon in what could become a showdown for the gavel.

Leading up to the vote, some Republicans were resentful of the pressure put on them by Jordan’s allies and complained they were being threatened with primary opponents if they didn’t support him as speaker. After being rejected on the first ballot for House speaker, Jordan said he was “not really” surprised at the tally and expected to do better in the next round, possibly later Tuesday. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries is calling on Republicans to work with Democrats to elect a speaker. One thing to watch for today is how the representatives frame the anniversary of Jan. 6. McCarthy ally Rep. Patrick McHenry of North Carolina said he believed it would be “a good evening” and said several holdouts were negotiating in good faith.

She was booed by Democrats during her speech after she made a comment about Democrats drinking alcohol and eating popcorn during the speaker votes. McCarthy was on track to once again to fall short of the 218 votes he needs to become the next House speaker. He can only lose four GOP votes, and as the sixth round of voting continued, he had already lost five votes. The House adjourned Wednesday after it failed for a sixth time to elect a speaker — continuing a feud between House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and 20 opponents within his own party. "The reality is Rep. Kevin McCarthy doesn’t have the votes," Donalds tweeted after changing his vote against McCarthy during the third speakership vote Tuesday — a decision that drew some audible gasps as well as applause from the chamber. Donalds initially backed McCarthy’s speakership but after the California Republican failed to reach the 218-vote threshold in two votes on Tuesday, the Florida lawmaker shifted gears.

GOP Rep. Stephanie Bice of Oklahoma is considering a run for conference vice chair – the leadership role previously occupied by now-Speaker Mike Johnson, according to her spokesperson. Sources said the talks tonight amongst McCarthy allies and holdouts have been the most productive and serious ones to date. In one sign of a breakthrough, a McCarthy-aligned super PAC agreed to not play in open primaries in safe seats — one of the big demands that conservatives had asked for but that McCarthy had resisted up until this point.

One key holdout, Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., did not appear to be in the chamber when his name was called. Reps. Don Bacon, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Anthony D’Esposito, Mario Diaz-Balart and Jake Ellzey are among the Republicans who have voted against Jordan. Jordan has so far lost nine GOP votes, well more than the three he could spare.

Jordan has continued to support McCarthy for speaker despite previous nominations from his colleagues to oppose him. Perry, chair of the HFC, tweeted he switched his vote in good-faith after reviewing McCarthy's renewed plan for speaker. The House of Representatives is packed with lawmakers as the legislative body continues its struggle to elect its next Speaker. The House of Representatives is moving into a 13th round vote after House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., flipped 14 GOP holdouts to his side last ballot.

Wednesday as he and his supporters work to persuade the remaining holdouts to flip in his favor. Jeffries said Tuesday evening after Jim Jordan lost the speaker’s vote that it’s fine if the next speaker is a Republican. But he made clear that Democrats would want rule changes that would allow them to advance legislation that has bipartisan support. Some members of Congress were eager to assist them in that aim and later that day voted against the certification. And there's a notable overlap between those members and the ones causing a stir again this week. McCarthy made a new offer to his opponents and while there's no deal yet, Republican negotiations will continue today, NPR congressional correspondent Claudia Grisales says.