The GOP’s infighting and inability to elect a House speaker means the lower chamber cannot get to work, potentially delaying crucial legislation
The repeated failures by House Republicans to elect a new speaker are making the federal government more likely to shut down next month, as the GOP’s weeks-long internal dysfunction threatens to delay vital legislation.
The House has been mostly closed for business since Oct. 3, when a band of far-right rebels ousted then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). Republicans since have not coalesced around a replacement, running through multiple options without electing anyone. Without a speaker, lawmakers can’t bring bills to the floor.
Policy discussions have ground to a halt, even as war has broken out in Israel and federal funding is weeks away from expiring. Congress has until Nov. 17 to approve a deal to fund the government, or members of the military risk missing paychecks, national parks will close and the Internal Revenue Service will run shoestring operations.
Not this. They get into brinkmanship over the budget often. And in that case it’s easy to blame Dems for not giving into their demands.
This is different. There’s no demands. They can’t even agree amongst themselves.
And it’s a political weakness that will cost them votes and donations. Some of them at least are smart enough to care.