Explosive Divisions Persist within House GOP Conference in Search for Next Speaker

House Republicans convened for their first meeting following the significant vote to remove Kevin McCarthy. However, after two hours of discussion, they remained no closer to finding a consensus on a potential candidate for the position of speaker. The conference continues to be divided on the best way forward, with ongoing debates about potential rule changes and lingering emotions from the events of last week. Despite increased pressure resulting from the recent terrorist attack in Israel, Republicans have yet to determine a clear path and identify the individual capable of securing the necessary 217 votes to lead.

Republicans are faced with the possibility that neither House Majority Leader Steve Scalise nor House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan will be able to secure enough votes to be elected speaker, which leaves the party without a clear direction. Additionally, there is disagreement among Republicans regarding the rules that will be used to elect a new speaker, as they aim to avoid a repeat of the lengthy and embarrassing 15-vote process experienced by McCarthy in January. "The House needs to resume its legislative duties, and to do that, we must select a speaker. There is a strong determination to quickly come together and elect our speaker," Scalise told reporters after an extended two-hour conference meeting on Monday evening.

House Republicans will hear from Scalise and Jordan again on Tuesday evening for a candidate forum, but it is unlikely that another meeting will resolve the conference's lingering issues. The session on Monday provided lawmakers with an opportunity to express their frustration towards the eight Republicans who voted to remove McCarthy, leaving the House without a speaker. GOP lawmakers made it clear that their emotions are still raw, and reaching a consensus will require significant time following the unprecedented events of last week.

Rep. Derrick Van Orden from Wisconsin expressed his hesitation in endorsing a candidate, citing concerns about certain members within the conference who have the ability to irresponsibly disrupt House proceedings.

Similarly, GOP Rep. Max Miller from Ohio advocated for an additional week for the House GOP to unite around a speaker nominee. He also described a sense of disappointment among attendees during the closed-door meeting on Monday night, emphasizing the need for resolution.

Rep. Steve Womack, a senior GOP appropriator from Arkansas, described the conference as a "scattergram." He stated that there was a productive discussion with a diversity of opinions. The conference seemed to be all over the map in terms of the way forward, with some discussions focusing on rules changes and others addressing the dissatisfaction stemming from Tuesday's events and the desire to reassess them.

Scalise and Jordan were both silent during the meeting, while McCarthy, who had previously refused to rule out the possibility of being renominated for speaker, was absent. However, certain Republicans who had voted against McCarthy's nomination on Monday expressed their unwavering stance. Rep. Cory Mills, a Republican from Florida who supports Jordan, unequivocally dismissed the notion of McCarthy resurfacing as a potential candidate.

Today, we discussed the individuals who are eligible for consideration as they have already declared their nomination," he stated. Besides the competition between Scalise and Jordan, the conference is also divided on the mechanics of the speaker nomination process, a factor that could significantly impact the eventual winner.

Rep. Chip Roy of Texas has proposed a requirement that lawmakers must secure a majority of the entire House, rather than just their conference, in order to obtain the nomination for speaker from their party. This change aims to guarantee that the nominee has sufficient support prior to a floor vote. The proposal is supported by Jordan and many of his allies, while Scalise's allies, who believe he can secure a majority within the conference but not on the initial ballot, oppose the proposal.

There was a push in certain areas of the conference to promptly choose a speaker. House Foreign Affairs Chairman Mike McCaul urged for the selection of a new speaker by Wednesday in order to avoid the perception of weakness and dysfunction during the ongoing war in Israel.

McCaul pointed out that until a new speaker is chosen, the House will be unable to pass any legislation to address the crisis.

"He said that we have a deadline of Wednesday to secure a speaker, and the initial bill to be discussed is my resolution denouncing Hamas for their acts of terrorism in Israel," the report was assisted by Haley Talbot, Kristin Wilson, and Sam Fossum from CNN.