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In the US Congress, the Republican candidate for speaker is already throwing in the towel. The Republican Tom Emmer, who was elected to the American Congress and who had been nominated as a candidate by his colleagues a few hours earlier, preferred to give up before a vote in the plenary session. (Photo by Tom Emmer on October 24, 2023)
UNITED STATES – And it’s another failure. Republican Tom Emmer, who was elected to the US Congress and was nominated by his colleagues as a candidate for the office of “Speaker” on Tuesday, October 24th, threw in the towel after just a few hours, several American media reported.
The elected representative from Minnesota in the House of Representatives encountered resistance, particularly from Trumpist elected officials, and preferred to give up before a vote in the plenary session as the US Congress plunged further into crisis.
After weeks of trying to find a new president for the House of Representatives, the Republicans agreed this Tuesday, after a series of internal votes, on the name of Tom Emmer, the party’s number three in the House of Representatives.
Application doomed to failure
But the candidacy of this elected representative from Minnesota, the voice of the party establishment, quickly appeared doomed.
More than twenty elected representatives from his own camp quickly made it clear during the vote in the plenary session that they would never support him, even though the Republicans only have a very narrow majority in the House of Representatives.
In fact, Donald Trump’s allies are against him because he was among the elected officials who voted to certify Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election. They therefore consider Tom Emmer to be deficient compared to the former president.
“One of the most embarrassing things I’ve ever seen”
Nearly three weeks after the impeachment of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Republican infighting continues to come to light.
However, the challenges of finding a new “speaker” are high. Without it it is impossible to vote on a bill; And since there is no vote on the budget, there is a real risk that the federal administration will be paralyzed in mid-November. Without a speaker, the House is also unable to act on President Joe Biden’s request to send emergency aid to Israel and Ukraine.
“It’s probably one of the most embarrassing things I’ve ever seen,” Republican Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Michael McCaul told ABC News on Sunday. “Because if we don’t have a speaker of the House, we can’t govern. And every day that goes by, we as a government are basically shut down,” he added.
Trump prefers to “hold back for a while”
Last week, Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, an ally of former President Donald Trump, appeared ready to put an end to this increasingly difficult task for the party.
In the end, he had to accept three failures out of as many votes. Then the Republicans withdrew their support and announced that they would meet on Monday to nominate a new candidate for the post of “Speaker.”
Donald Trump, who endorsed Jim Jordan, told reporters before a campaign rally in New Hampshire that he spoke with Tom Emmer over the weekend but had no plans to endorse him. He said he would rather “hold back for a while.”
An “embarrassment” on a “global scale”
This dysfunction within the Republican Party is preventing Congress from responding to Joe Biden’s demand for more than $100 billion in emergency funding, primarily military aid to Ukraine and Israel in their wars against Russia and Hamas, respectively.
“At a critical moment when our allies are counting on us to show leadership (…), Republicans in the House of Representatives are mocking our government and embarrassing the country on the world stage,” denounced the speaker of the House Democratic National Committee, Sarafina, to Chitika.
And if elected officials don’t approve the 2024 federal budget by Nov. 17, the federal government will be paralyzed and hundreds of thousands of workers will be sent home temporarily without pay.
For three weeks there has been confusion in Congress about how to proceed. Will Republicans pull a name out of a hat that they can reach consensus on? Unlikely Hypothesis: Will Democrats reach an agreement with some moderate Republicans? Nothing is less certain and the parliamentary soap opera promises new twists and turns in the coming days and weeks.
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