Two major allies of the United States are embroiled in a brutal war. A devastating government shutdown is just a month away. Americans are being held hostage by hostile forces overseas. Uncertainty is rippled across the country.
Meanwhile, House Republicans have been weary of a protracted battle of personal grievances, petty demands, political payoffs, and pervasive attention-seeking, with Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise on Thursday night He was forced to decline his candidacy for chairman. The riot sidelined Congress at a critical juncture, turning the Capitol into a dysfunctional bastion for the Republican Party. The picture of infighting between the two parties has become even more vivid at a moment of international crisis, a fact that the Republicans themselves have not forgotten, as they have not been able to decide on a speaker who can restore the House to health.
“We live in a dangerous world. The world is on fire,” Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, who chairs the Foreign Relations Committee, said Thursday as Republicans look for a way out of the stalemate. He said this after leaving the closed-door meeting that ended in failure. “Our enemies are watching what we do, and frankly, they like it.”
“I see a lot of threats out there,” he added, ominously referring to the ongoing turmoil among his colleagues unfolding in the basement of the Capitol. “One of the biggest threats I see is in that room, because we can’t come together as a conference and get the speakers in the chairs.”
In past moments of crisis, such as the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, lawmakers have put aside personal and political differences, even temporarily, to create a unity that reassures the nation and the world. I was able to show the battle lines. But despite reports of world events, by Thursday there was no sign that Republicans were ready to stop bickering, and it was unclear how they would recover after Scalise’s difficult decision.
After last week’s historic vote to remove their own chairman, Republican lawmakers met Wednesday and narrowly voted to nominate No. 2 Republican Scalise to replace former Speaker Kevin McCarthy. It appeared to be on the verge of a rapid recovery. But it quickly became clear that Republicans were not willing to put aside their divisions and support him on the House floor. Scalise said some of his colleagues had “their own agenda” when he called off the fight Thursday night. Some were supporters of Rep. Jim Jordan, the far-right Ohio Republican who co-founded the House Freedom Caucus and challenged Mr. Scalise to the nomination by just 14 votes.
Others simply refused to commit.
Mr. Scalise convened his colleagues Thursday for another long, closed-door meeting that stretched into the afternoon in an attempt to stem the tide against him, but one Republican called it a scorn worthy of the parody holiday Festivus. It was said that it was a broadcast of Lawmakers warned that it was tarnishing not only their own image but also that of the nation.
“This is a terrible signal,” said Rep. Don Bacon, a Nebraska Republican and former Air Force general. If his party is seen by voters as incapable of governing, seats in battleground districts could be at risk. “We are not a governing body, and we should not be.”
Concerns abroad about what is happening with Israel’s involvement with Hamas and Ukraine with Russia are real. Sen. Chris Coons, D-Delaware, said he traveled to Europe during his Senate recess to meet with senior officials and faced persistent questions about U.S. involvement in those regions and instability in the House.
“This is a critical moment to demonstrate that we can govern and reasonably engage our allies in the face of a dangerous world.”
Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill., expressed similar sentiments, saying the situation in the House goes beyond Republican chamber politics.
“This paralysis is not just an inconvenience,” he said. “It leaves our nation vulnerable. It shows the world, both allies and enemies alike, that we cannot govern.”
Differences among Republicans blocking a new chairman do not seem insurmountable. They are all inherently conservative in different ways along the ideological spectrum. What seems insurmountable, at least for now, is the unwillingness of some members to overcome their differences. There is a clear bloc in House Republicans who refuse to concede, even if it risks the party’s image at home and abroad.
Mr McCarthy’s supporters remain angry at his ouster and vow to vote for him again. Mr. Scalise’s supporters are angry at the unmoved McCarthy supporters. Scalise’s opponents portray him as too much of a product of the establishment, and Jordan’s critics consider him too anti-government.
Texas Republican Rep. Chip Roy said Wednesday that his plan to change the party’s internal election process was quickly rejected, clearing the way for Scalise to win the nomination with a simple majority vote before he could opt out. I was indignant. Roy said other resistance groups are also concerned that Scalise’s health, which is being treated for blood cancer, could deteriorate if he wins the gavel.
Others simply love the spotlight that comes with being one of the members of Congress who prevents someone from sitting in the speaker’s chair. Rep. Greg Murphy, R-North Carolina, went after fellow Republican Nancy Mace (R-South Carolina) on X, saying she attacked Scalise’s record on race to get attention. denounced.
“The 24-hour news cycle has destroyed Congress,” Murphy wrote.
It didn’t help that former President Donald J. Trump was happy to fan the flames by opposing Mr. Scalise. Then there was newly re-indicted Representative George Santos, a New York Republican who refused to support Mr. Scalise when his colleagues were tempted to oust him if they could, cooperated with the freeze and incited chaos himself. restore order.
Some Republicans dismissed concerns about the situation in the House and its impact on national and world politics. Mr. Roy called such concerns “swamp concerns,” ridiculing institutional Washington.
“The whole universe doesn’t revolve around this building,” he said of the Capitol. “If something happens, take action.”
Even if Republicans manage to elect a chair, that doesn’t mean a return to smooth governance. Whoever is chosen will face a learning curve over cracks in the majority and pressure to hold the line on deep spending cuts in upcoming fiscal negotiations with the Senate and White House to avoid a shutdown. You will have to face it. Their colleagues will be watching closely to see how they handle it.
The incoming speaker will also have to negotiate growing Republican resistance to increased financial aid to Ukraine, while pressure mounts to provide Israel with whatever it needs in its conflict with Hamas.
Before reaching that point, whoever becomes speaker, House Republicans must first find a way out of the leadership vacuum. Some Republicans worry that what was a brief and embarrassing interlude for the party has turned into something even more sinister.
“This is a bad episode of ‘Veep.’ It’s becoming ‘House of Cards,'” said Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-New York.
luke broadwater, katie edmondson and Annie Carni Contributed to the report.