With Capitol Hill’s Christmas season also comes gifts from lawmakers to themselves in the form of earmarks
House Republicans faced a challenging situation in choosing a new House Speaker after the ouster of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a Republican from California.
In a secret vote, Republican House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana was initially chosen by his party, but he failed to garner enough support to win the seat and dropped out of the race Thursday night. Subsequently, on Friday, Rep. Jim Jordan won a secret ballot among GOP members for the speakership. However, it is uncertain whether he will get enough support from his party to become the new Speaker.
Regardless of who ultimately assumes the role of Speaker, the incoming leader will face formidable challenges as the House prepares to tackle various government funding bills. The situation comes under pressure from fiscal conservatives eager to rein in government spending as the federal debt surpasses $33 trillion. Furthermore, there is increasing pressure from the White House, as well as bipartisan majorities in the legislature, to provide aid to Ukraine.
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The new speaker will immediately face a complicated fiscal situation and the urgent task of funding the government before the current appropriations expire on November 17.
Both the House and Senate are collectively responsible for passing a total of 12 appropriations bills, 11 of which originated in the House to prevent a government shutdown.
In recent history, Congress has typically resorted to passing joint resolutions (CR) and supplementary bills to address funding issues. When Kevin McCarthy won the speakership in January, some Republicans tied their support to the passage of appropriations bills.
Just days after Congress averted a partial government shutdown in late September by enacting a short-lived CR, Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz voted to remove McCarthy as speaker.
With McCarthy’s dismissal, Congress is just over a week away from a November deadline for government funding, making the situation even more pressing.
During the Christmas season on Capitol Hill, lawmakers often treat themselves to earmarks, a relatively recent addition to House rules. Earmarks allows members to allocate federal funds for projects of their choice.
In addition to managing earmarks, the incoming speaker will have to navigate a complex landscape of amendments as the House tries to pass funding bills.
The House has been gridlocked for a week since the historic ouster of Kevin McCarthy as Speaker.
Initially, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise defeated House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio to secure the speaker nomination. However, Scalise’s candidacy was short-lived when he dropped out of the race late Thursday night.
Jim Jordan has emerged as the leading contender to become the next GOP nominee for Speaker, but he has encountered resistance from moderate colleagues within the party.
The House is currently unable to conduct its usual business until a Speaker is chosen, and it remains uncertain when a floor vote will take place to formally install someone into the role.
In the interim, North Carolina Republican Rep. Patrick McHenry serves as the speaker pro tempore, a position that was established in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.