A week after the US House of Representatives’ historic impeachment of the president, Republicans remained silent on Tuesday, unable to reach agreement despite pressure to act on behalf of Ukraine and Israel.
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Is the American Congress, paralyzed by fratricidal conflict, giving in to the temptation to isolate itself?
The removal of Kevin McCarthy from the House of Representatives suspended the vast majority of parliamentary work in that institution, effectively blocking any vote on urgent diplomatic and budget issues.
“As we debate so many important domestic issues, we appear to be ignoring the serious threats we and our allies face around the world,” Republican-elect Mike Kelly warned on X, formerly Twitter, urging his colleagues to to be listened to immediately.
Presentations by Jordan and Scalise
The “Speaker,” who presides over the lower house of Congress, is the third political figure in the United States who is supposed to succeed the President and Vice President in the event of a vacancy or absence.
The Republicans have had the majority in the House of Representatives since January and are therefore de facto responsible for electing the president of this institution.
The Democrats, who are in the minority, are largely reduced to the role of spectators in these negotiations.
But extremely high tensions between moderate and Trumpist elected officials completely disrupted this process, culminating in the ouster of Kevin McCarthy on October 3rd.
The Conservatives will meet at 5:00 p.m. (9:00 p.m. GMT) to hear the introduction of the two declared candidates for Speaker:
On one side is the group leader Steve Scalise, 58, a member of the extreme right.
On the other side was the combative Jim Jordan, a year his senior and chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. This elected official is close to Donald Trump, whose sponsorship he has already won.
An example of the divisions roiling Republicans: Neither of these two men currently has enough support to be elected leader of the House of Representatives.
A first informal election must be organized behind closed doors on Wednesday to gauge the mood within the group.
Before a vote in the plenary chamber, in the plenary session or at a later date.
McCarthy praises his experience
Some Kevin McCarthy supporters stressed the need to fill his office as quickly as possible and called on the fired “Speaker” to run again to give Congress the opportunity to act on this range of sensitive issues.
“I’ve always said I support Kevin McCarthy. I think he’s the right person to govern,” New York elected official Mike Lawler argued Monday.
Pressed on this question, Kevin McCarthy remained very ambiguous on Monday, limiting himself to praising his diplomatic experience with this great ally of the United States.
The re-election of the fifty-year-old would be a spectacular turnaround. However, this would require the few Trumpist troublemakers to join in – which remains more than unlikely at the moment.