House Republicans trying to impose order on the process of selecting a new speaker of the House might try to change the rules as Wednesday’s planned vote looms on the successor to former Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Republicans are considering a rule change that would require any candidate for speaker to get 217 or 218 votes before the closed-door GOP conference brings its potential speaker to the floor for a vote, according to Fox News. Currently, only a majority of Republicans is needed to pick a speaker candidate.
Republican Study Committee Chairman Rep. Kevin Hern of Oklahoma said the rule might be needed to move the process along.
“The American people are pretty weary right now on chaos, if you will,” he told Fox News. “I don’t know that it’s healthy for the American morale to see chaos in the Middle East, chaos in Israel, and then chaos here.”
But in the House Republican conference, everything is contested.
“I don’t think we ought to be changing rules in the middle of an election,” Republican Rep. Steve Womack of Arkansas said. “I just don’t think that’s wise.
“I also think there is some wisdom of having members have their surnames called out, and have to … declare it to everybody. Secret ballot accomplishes very little, you know, other than gives you an opportunity to freely express yourself without being made known.”
Republican Rep. Dusty Johnson of South Dakota said there might be better ways to name a speaker than a series of floor votes.
“If it’s going to take us four days to get to 218, I think everybody should agree that burning that time on the floor is suboptimal,” he said, according to Fox News.
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