US House adjourns again with no speaker
05 Jan 2023 11:20am
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The House voted 216 to 214 on the motion to adjourn until noon on Thursday, which came after another three rounds of failed attempts to elect a speaker. On Tuesday, the House failed to elect a speaker after three rounds. A seventh round would likely be held tomorrow.
"I don't think a vote tonight does any difference but I think a vote in the future will... I don't think voting tonight is productive, I think let people work a little more," McCarthy said Wednesday night.
McCarthy added that there has been a lot of progress made in negotiations with the small number of Republican colleagues opposing his nomination for House speaker, but no deal has been reached yet.
The situation marks the first time in a century the House has failed to select a speaker on the first ballot. House lawmakers cannot be formally sworn into office until a speaker is elected.
Ballots to elect a speaker began on Tuesday during the House’s first session of the new Congress. The House held three failed ballots on Tuesday and three more on Wednesday before adjourning for a break.
Republicans hold a 222-212 majority in the House, with 218 votes needed to elect a speaker. However, 20 Republican members are casting votes for Congressman Byron Donalds instead of McCarthy, whom the majority of the party backs.
The Republicans opposed to McCarthy have criticised the former minority leader’s ability to reform House rules and push for the party’s priorities. - BERNAMA
