House Republicans are feeling frustrated due to the absence of agreement on who should assume the role of the next speaker. They are urging Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, the two contenders for the position, to discuss and determine which one of them should withdraw from the race.
Lawmakers are up against the clock to elect a new speaker to replace Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who was ousted by eight Republicans and the entire Democratic caucus last week, leaving the House unable to conduct legislative business.
There is currently no agreement among Republicans on whether to choose Mr. Jordan or Mr. Scalise as a replacement for Mr. McCarthy. A floor vote is scheduled for Wednesday.
A suggestion proposed by lawmakers, as mentioned by a Republican, entails either Mr. Scalise or Mr. Jordan withdrawing from the race and supporting their opponent.
A Republican legislator informed The Washington Times that there are some Republicans who simply desire for Mr. Jordan and Mr. Scalise to have a discussion and resolve the matter.
Another lawmaker, a supporter of Mr. Jordan, said his GOP colleagues are discussing a plan to elect Mr. Jordan as speaker and keep Mr. Scalise as Majority Leader
The congressman, who preferred to remain anonymous because of the sensitive nature of the talks, expressed that there would be significant backing for that idea.
The Times attempted to contact Mr. Scalise’s offices for a comment but did not receive a response.
Insiders from the Jordan team report that they are gaining substantial backing and are optimistic about their chances in the competition for the gavel.
Certain members of the Republican party expressed confidence that, despite the limited amount of time available, the conference will be able to come together and support a single candidate by Wednesday.
Republicans need roughly 217 votes to elect a Republican speaker on the House floor, which means nearly the entire conference will have to agree on one member because Democrats, who also vote for speaker, will choose their own candidate, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York.
Both Mr. Jordan and Mr. Scalise, who stayed quiet during a two-hour meeting of the GOP in the basement on Monday night, have not been successful in obtaining 217 votes.
Some GOP lawmakers have openly expressed their support for either Mr. Jordan or Mr. Scalise, while others are focused on swiftly appointing a new speaker to address the upcoming government shutdown deadline on November 17 and to offer assistance to Israel, which recently entered into conflict with Hamas.
Both Mr. Scalise and Mr. Jordan have previously worked together under Speaker John Boehner, a Republican from Ohio who resigned from Congress in 2015. They share a longstanding and amicable professional bond.
Some Republicans scoffed at the idea that one of the two GOP contenders for the speaker job would step aside for the other. Both Mr. Scalise and Mr. Jordan have a loyal base of supporters in the conference.
A Republican legislator stated that they do not remember surrendering their voting rights.
One person mentioned that certain legislators support Mr. Scalise as they believe his election as speaker would provide greater opportunities for progress within the highest ranks of leadership.
Another congressman informed The Times that there is a specific level of support for Scalise within the leadership. However, they expressed their disagreement with the idea of promoting him, as it would create a domino effect where everyone else would also want to move up. This motivation is seen as self-serving.
Rep. Darrell Issa, a California Republican who is supporting Mr. Jordan, said there is ample support for Mr. Scalise to keep his No. 2 leadership spot.
“He stated that there is no competition.”
