Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman McCaul called on Republicans to stop "infighting" and unite to elect a party candidate to lead the House.
"We will hold a nomination meeting on October 10 and make a decision after that," House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, a Republican, told CNN on October 8. "In this current climate, playing with national security is very dangerous."
McCaul's comments come as the House of Representatives is without a formal leader, following the dismissal of Kevin McCarthy amid internal Republican disputes and infighting. Without a Speaker, the House will be unable to pass any major legislation.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Rep. Kevin Hern have announced their candidacies for Speaker of the House, with Jordan and Scalise considered the two leading candidates. McCaul believes one of the two candidates will gain enough support to succeed McCarthy.
“I think we are ready to unite around a Speaker and not let this civil war disrupt the legislative process,” McCaul said.
Congressman Michael McCaul in New York in November 2016. Photo: Reuters
Mr McCaul said Republicans needed to act quickly on the issue, not allowing democracy to be paralyzed amid the many hot spots around the world. "What message are we sending to our opponents when we can't govern, are incapacitated, and don't have a Speaker of the House?", he added.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a Democrat, also called on "Republicans to end the civil war so the House can function." He hopes his Republican colleagues can come to a consensus on the election of a speaker so the body can continue to get its work done both domestically and internationally.
Matt Gaetz, the Republican who filed the impeachment motion against McCarthy, told NBC News that the House would have a new speaker this week. Republicans would be “back on track” and “reinvigorated,” he added.
The US House of Representatives is scheduled to vote for a new speaker on October 11. The body has 435 seats, with Republicans controlling 221 seats, Democrats holding 212 seats and two seats vacant. A candidate needs to receive support from a majority of the members participating in the vote to become Speaker of the House.
Nhu Tam (According to Guardian, The Hill )
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