The leader of the Republican majority in the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, acknowledged Friday that the internal negotiations of the formation to elect him as president of the lower house of Congress, whose control they obtained in the last legislative elections, are now blocked by the opposition of five congressmen who demand substantial changes on, among other aspects, the powers and restrictions of the position.
«We keep talking but they still won’t budge,» McCarthy acknowledged Friday in an interview with conservative broadcaster Hugh Hewitt. «We’re the only Republican entity capable of stopping the Biden Administration and right now we’re holding everything up, preventing the formation of committees and other things that we should have done from the beginning,» he added.
At the center of their problems are five congressmen: Andy Biggs (Arizona), Matt Gaetz (Florida), Bob Good (Florida), Ralph Norman (South Carolina) and Matthew Rosendale (Montana). All of them have threatened that they will vote as a group to oppose McCarthy on the Jan. 3 ballot. The five of them are enough to prevent him from reaching the 218 votes McCarthy needs to preside, because the Republicans have won 222 seats.
The five congressmen raise numerous complaints, ranging from federal budgets to the Republican Party’s alleged lack of commitment to its grassroots. They have also raised the introduction of an amendment that would allow a single congressman to call for a vote to recall the Speaker of the House, which would greatly weaken the Speaker.
If McCarthy fails to get the 218 votes he needs, House Republicans will once again hold an election on the floor until a Speaker emerges, a situation unprecedented since 1923.
In comments to CNN, Gaetz was adamant about his intentions heading into the January vote. «I think the person who is going to preside over the chamber doesn’t even count right now among the candidates,» he said. Biggs, for his part, has assured that he is not «bluffing» and may even make his own bid for House speaker next month.
McCarthy has lamented that this gridlock is «a victory for the Democratic Party.» «They’re just enjoying the show and we can’t have that,» he added.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
