Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with President Biden and congressional leaders Tuesday hoping for vital aid. CBS News senior White House and political correspondent Ed O’Keefe reports.
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
The Biden administration announced Saturday that it took the unusual step of bypassing Congress and approving the sale of $106 million worth of tank ammunition to Israel. It comes as Congress is at a standstill over a $106 billion package that would provide aid to Ukraine and Israel. Willie James Inman has more.
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
Going around Congress, the Biden administration said Saturday it has approved the emergency sale to Israel of nearly 14,000 rounds of tank ammunition worth more than $106 million as Israel intensifies its military operations in the southern Gaza Strip.
The move comes as President Biden’s request for a nearly $106 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other national security is languishing in Congress, caught up in a debate over U.S. immigration policy and border security. Some Democratic lawmakers have spoken of making the proposed $14.3 billion in American assistance to its Mideast ally contingent on concrete steps by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to reduce civilian casualties in Gaza during the war with Hamas.
The State Department said it had notified Congress of the sale late Friday after Secretary of State Antony Blinken determined “an emergency exists that requires the immediate sale” of the munitions in the U.S. national security interest.
That means the purchase will bypass the congressional review requirement for foreign military sales. Such determinations are rare, but not unprecedented when administrations see an urgent need for weapons to be delivered without waiting for lawmakers’ approval.
Israel deploys soldiers, tanks, military aircraft and armored vehicles near the Shuja’iyya neighborhood of Gaza, as smoke rises in Gaza as seen from Nahal Oz, Israel, on Dec. 9, 2023.
Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images
“The United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is vital to U.S. national interests to assist Israel to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability. This proposed sale is consistent with those objectives,” the department said in a statement. “Israel will use the enhanced capability as a deterrent to regional threats and to strengthen its homeland defense.”
The sale is worth $106.5 million and includes 13,981 120 mm High Explosive Anti-Tank Multi-Purpose with Tracer tank cartridges as well as U.S. support, engineering and logistics. The material will come from Army inventory.
Bypassing Congress with emergency determinations for arms sales is an unusual step that has in the past met resistance from lawmakers, who normally have a period of time to weigh on proposed weapons transfers and, in some cases, block them.
In May, 2019, then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made an emergency determination for an $8.1 billion sale of weapons to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan after it became clear that the Trump administration would have trouble overcoming lawmakers’ concerns about the Saudi- UAE-led war in Yemen.
Pompeo came under heavy criticism for the move, which some believed may have violated the law because many of the weapons involved had yet to be built and could not be delivered urgently. But he was cleared of any wrongdoing after an internal investigation.
At least four administrations have used the authority since 1979. President George H.W. Bush’s administration used it during the Gulf War to get arms quickly to Saudi Arabia.
University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill is facing calls to resign over her testimony during a congressional hearing on antisemitism earlier this week. The House Education and Workforce Committee announced Thursday it is launching an investigation into UPenn, MIT and Harvard, with House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik calling their presidents’ testimony “pathetic and morally bankrupt.” Nikole Killion has more.
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
Former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney is sharing some of her grievances with the GOP. CBS News senior political analyst John Dickerson spoke with Cheney in a sit-down interview and he joins “America Decides” to discuss her critiques.
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
The House is expected to hold a third vote Friday on whether to expel embattled Rep. George Santos of New York. Santos told CBS News that he is not considering resigning. Scott MacFarlane has more.
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
Congressman Earl Blumenauer, an Oregon Democrat, is one of nearly 40 lawmakers leaving Congress at the end of this term.
“I deeply respect some of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, but it’s harder and harder to work with them,” Blumenauer told CBS News. “The unending chaos in the House really takes up most of the oxygen.”
File: Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) speaks at an End Fossil Fuel rally near the U.S. Capitol on June 29, 2021 in Washington, DC. Organized by Our Revolution, demonstrators called on Congress to take action in ending fossil fuel subsidies.
Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images
“The dysfunction in the House is part of the reason why I’ve decided to leave,” said GOP Rep. Ken Buck, of Colorado. “People are lying a lot. And when you call out the lies, you’re the bad guy. I feel like I can do more outside of Congress than inside of Congress.”
“I’m at that point of my life, age-wise and career-wise, where if I have one more chapter, I want to go explore it,” 61-year-old Maryland Rep. John Sarbanes, a Democrat, told CBS News by phone ahead of a busy week in the House. Sarbanes has announced his ninth term in the House will be his final one.
As Congress slogs through a year of stalemates, showdowns, acrimony and the first-ever ousting of a House speaker, a wave of incumbent lawmakers have announced they’re walking away from their Capitol Hill careers.
The large number of retirements is troubling, said some House members and staffers, because the retirees include veteran lawmakers considered to be workhorses of Congress by their peers.
File: From left, Reps. Darren Soto, D-Fla., Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., and Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., attend a House Energy and Commerce Committee markup in Rayburn Building on Tuesday, July 21, 2021.
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Rep. Anna Eshoo, a California Democrat in her 32nd year in the House, will retire after a congressional career in which she sponsored over 60 pieces of legislation that became law.
In an interview from her office study in California, Eshoo told CBS News, “I’ve never run away from anything. I’m not fleeing the Congress. I’m retiring from Congress. Do I worry about the state that the House of Representatives is in? I certainly do. I worry about the country.”
But when pressed on whether the toxicity of the 118th Congress persuaded her to retire, Eshoo replied, “Not really. That’s not my reason. I think it’s time.”
This class of retirees also includes Rep. Kay Granger, the Texas Republican who chairs the powerful House Appropriations Committee. And Rep. Derek Kilmer, Democrat of Washington, the Seattle-area congressman who recently helped develop a plan and report to modernize Congress, which sought to offer “recommendations for improving and strengthening the House.”
Rep. Brad Wenstrup is an Ohio Republican who chairs a panel investigating the COVID-19 pandemic, and he’s also a military veteran who helped respond and care for a House colleague wounded in a 2017 shooting spree in Virginia.
The list of departing lawmakers also includes centrist senators who have a history of bridging gaps and providing pivotal votes, including Sen. Mitt Romney, a Utah Republican, and Sen. Joe Manchin, Democrat of West Virginia.
The sheer numbers threaten to bleed Congress of some its institutional memory and the relationships that helped forge deals and bipartisan legislation.
The Congressional Management Foundation, a nonprofit which provides consulting for congressional offices, said experience is already dwindling in Congress. Foundation president Brad Fitch told CBS News, “At the start of this Congress in 2023 about half of the House of Representatives had four years or less of experience in their jobs.”
“Experience matters, whether we talking about football coaches, neurosurgeons or members of Congress,” Fitch said. “One of the reasons why Congress is having difficulty fulfilling it’s basic responsibilities to the American public is because many of them are still learning how to do their jobs.”
The retirees also include those seeking higher or different offices, including Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a Virginia Democrat and centrist dealmaker who turned a red district to blue in Virginia in 2018. Spanberger has announced she’s running for governor of her state in 2025.
West Virginia GOP Rep. Alex Mooney is departing a seat he won after an agonizing and high-profile intraparty primary just a year ago, to pursue the Republican nomination for the West Virginia Senate seat Manchin is vacating.
The departures could metastasize. Blumenauer said he was less inclined to run for reelection because so many of the Republicans with whom he partners on legislation are leaving, citing in particular Wenstrup’s retirement.
Eshoo’s departure has reverberated among Democrats. In a statement, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told CBS News, “Congresswoman Eshoo has been a giant in the Congress of the United States. For three decades, she has magnificently represented not only her district, which she considers the best, but also our state and our country. Seeing the connection between our values and our legislation.”
The toxicity of the Congress and the aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021 assault on the Capitol continue to have an impact.
“People are lying a lot,” Buck said. “Lying about the election being stolen, about Jan. 6 being an unguided tour of the Capitol, about the Jan. 6 defendants being political prisoners.”
Some of the retirements could have an impact on each party’s ability to win a majority in the House. Spanberger’s seat is expected to be heavily targeted by Republicans.
In his retirement announcement, Rep. Dan Kildee, Democrat of Michigan, who represents a blue-collar area in a swing state, expressed optimism on behalf of his party. He said he is confident a Democrat will win his seat in the Flint area next year.
Manchin’s retirement has fueled speculation that he might consider a third-party run for the White House, endangering the reelection prospects of President Biden. Speaking earlier this month with CBS Evening News anchor and managing editor Norah O’Donnell, Manchin expressed frustration with partisanship in Congress.
“I’ve come to the conclusion we’re not going to fix it here in Washington,” Manchin said. “We’re losing that middle. We’re losing the core of how you come you come to conclusions to pass the bills that we pass.”
Scott MacFarlane is a congressional correspondent. He has covered Washington for two decades, earning 20 Emmy and Edward R. Murrow awards. His reporting resulted directly in the passage of five new laws.
President Biden has signed the bipartisan short-term funding bill that will keep the government open and operating until early 2024 ahead of a Friday night deadline.
The president signed the bill while in San Francisco for the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, where he has met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other Asian world leaders. He signed the bill at the Legion of Honor Museum, where he was hosting a dinner for APEC members, The Associated Press said.
A U.S. official said the bill was flown to California for the president’s signature.
The bill, known as a continuing resolution, extends funding for the Departments of Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Energy and Veterans Affairs until Jan. 19, while other government entities are funded through Feb. 2.
The House and Senate passed the short-term fix earlier this week, with House Republicans unable to reach internal agreement on longer-term, individual appropriations bills. The bill passed the Senate in an 87-11 vote, with only one Democratic senator — Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado — voting against the measure. It passed the House 336 to 95, with more Democrats supporting the bill than Republicans.
The House passed a stop-gap measure similar to the one Rep. Matt Gaetz and other hardline Republicans toppled former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy for backing. But House Speaker Mike Johnson isn’t facing similar public threats from the right flank of his party.
The measure clears the holiday calendar for Congress, which is often fighting over government funding in the days leading up to Christmas and Hanukkah, but potentially tees up an election-year funding battle, if Congress can’t come to an agreement over long-term funding in December.
A report released Thursday by the House Ethics Committee found clear evidence that embattled Republican Rep. George Santos of New York stole from his campaign and deceived donors. Following the report’s release, Santos announced that he will not run for reelection in 2024.
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
Congress has just days to approve a new funding plan to avert a government shutdown. But new House Speaker Mike Johnson’s most recent proposal is drawing criticism from both Democrats and Republicans. Natalie Brand reports.
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
President Biden’s top advisers are pushing lawmakers to provide additional aid to Israel and Ukraine — but Congress remains divided. CBS News chief White House correspondent Nancy Cordes reports.
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana — the fourth Republican to be nominated for House speaker since Rep. Kevin McCarthy was ousted three weeks ago — won the speakership in a party-line vote on Wednesday. The final vote was 220-209.
Johnson, who represents a district in western Louisiana, was first elected to the House in 2016. He is a close ally of former President Donald Trump who had led many of the 2020 election challenges.
What is Johnson’s connection to 2020 election challenges?
After the 2020 election, Johnson led an amicus brief signed by more than 100 House Republicans in support of a lawsuit brought by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to overturn the election results in four swing states won by President Biden.
Rep. Mike Johnson speaks after being elected as Republicans’ speaker nominee on Capitol Hill on Oct. 24, 2023.
Win McNamee / Getty Images
The brief claimed that the officials and courts in each of the battleground states unconstitutionally usurped the power granted to state legislators by changing election rules in 2020. The Supreme Court rejected the request, saying it lacked legal standing.
According to The New York Times, about three-quarters of the arguments that lawmakers used to justify overturning the election results relied on arguments from Johnson.
Ahead of the Jan. 6, 2021, joint session of Congress to count the Electoral College votes, Johnson urged lawmakers to follow a “third option,” saying the way the states had changed voting rules during the pandemic had been unconstitutional, according to The New York Times.
On Tuesday night, he shut down a question from a reporter about his push to overturn the 2020 election results while his fellow Republicans booed.
What is Johnson’s background?
According to Johnson’s House biography, he is a constitutional lawyer who served in the Louisiana legislature from 2015 until 2017.
His biography touts his “20 years successfully litigating high profile constitutional law cases in district and appellate courts nationwide and is widely recognized as a leading defender of the right to life, religious liberty, free speech, the Second Amendment and free market principles.”
Johnson and his wife, Kelly Johnson, have been married since 1999 and they have four children.
What has Johnson done on Capitol Hill?
While not one of the highest-ranking members of Republican leadership in the House, Johnson currently serves as the vice chair of the Republican conference, having won election from his fellow GOP members.
Johnson also serves as a deputy whip.
How did Johnson end up getting the nomination for speaker?
The road to Johnson’s nomination among Republicans has been messy. McCarthy was the first speaker in history to be removed by a vote on the House floor, leaving a vacancy in the Republican leadership while the party holds a razor-thin majority.
After McCarthy was removed, the Republican conference held a closed-door, secret ballot vote for a new speaker nominee between Majority Leader Steve Scalise and right-wing Rep. Jim Jordan, which Scalise won. Scalise withdrew his nomination the next day due to a lack of support.
House Republicans then nominated Jordan, although the deep divisions remained within the party. A last-minute challenger to Jordan, Rep. Austin Scott of Georgia, received roughly 80 votes, according to members in the meeting, an ominous omen for Jordan’s prospects.
Jordan took his nomination to the floor, and went on to lose three floor votes over four days. Republicans dropped him as the nominee, and nine Republicans ultimately jumped in the race to be the next speaker at Tuesday’s conference meeting.
After several rounds of closed-door, secret ballot voting, Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota prevailed and became House Republicans’ next nominee on Tuesday. But within hours, he withdrew his name from consideration after hardline conservatives refused to back him based on his vote to certify the 2020 election and his support of same-sex marriage.
The House Republican conference held another speaker forum Tuesday night and several more rounds of voting, with Johnson prevailing.
Republican Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota dropped his bid to become House speaker hours after winning the nomination. He is the third speaker-designee to drop out in less than three weeks since Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California was ousted. Nikole Killion reports.
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
Congress remains at a standstill as nine Republican candidates for the House speaker role prepare to present at a forum Monday. A new nominee could emerge on Tuesday after Republicans vote by secret ballot. CBS News congressional correspondent Nikole Killion has the latest.
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
Nine Republican lawmakers have tossed their hats into the ring to be considered for speaker of the House.
House Republicans have been working to elect a speaker since Rep. Kevin McCarthy was ousted at the start of the month. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise withdrew his candidacy on Oct. 12 after receiving the nomination on Oct. 11. Rep. Jim Jordan was dropped as the nominee Friday after he lost a third ballot for the speakership.
Who are the nine candidates for speaker of the House?
Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York said there was a noon deadline on Sunday for representatives to announce their candidacies for speaker.
The candidates who met that deadline are Reps. Jack Berman, Byron Donalds, Tom Emmer, Kevin Hern, Mike Johnson, Dan Meuser, Gary Palmer, Austin Scott and Pete Sessions.
Republicans will meet Monday evening to discuss potential candidates, with an internal vote set for Tuesday morning, according to interim Speaker Rep. Patrick McHenry.
All of the candidates, with the exception of Reps. Emmer and Scott, voted to decertify the 2020 election in the hours after the Capitol Insurrection.
Here is a little bit more about the lawmakers running for speaker.
Jack Bergman
Rep. Jack Bergman (R-MI)
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
The Michigan representative announced his candidacy on Friday.
“My hat is in the ring, and I feel confident I can win the votes where others could not,” he said. “I have no special interests to serve; I’m only in this to do what’s best for our Nation and to steady the ship for the 118th Congress.”
Bergman, a retired Marine Corps lieutenant general and businessman, touted his lack of political experience when he first ran in 2016.
Byron Donalds
U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL)
Byron Donalds
The Florida representative has been backed by fellow Florida lawmakers Reps. Cory Mills and Mario Diaz-Balart. Rep. Donalds garnered some support during a speaker election in January, which McCarthy ultimately won. Donalds announced his candidacy on Friday.
“My sole focus will be on securing our border, funding our government responsibly, advancing a conservative vision for the House of Representatives and the American people, and expanding our Republican majority,” he said.
Tom Emmer
U.S. House Majority Whip Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN)
Drew Angerer/Getty Images
The Minnesota representative, a close ally of Rep. McCarthy, had declined to run to replace McCarthy as speaker earlier this month. He announced his candidacy on Saturday.
“The American people elected us to deliver on a conservative agenda that secures our border, stops reckless spending, and holds Joe Biden accountable. We cannot afford to fail them,” he said. “I’m running for Speaker of the House to bring our conference together and get back to work.”
Emmer is the current majority whip.
Kevin Hern
Rep. Kevin Hern (R-OK)
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
The Oklahoma representative chairs the conservative Republican Study Committee. He announced his candidacy on Friday.
“We just had two Speaker Designates go down. We must unify and do it fast. I’ve spoken to every Member of the Conference over the last few weeks. We need a different type of leader who has a proven track record of success, which is why I’m running for Speaker of the House.
Hern has been a member of Congress since 2018. Prior to that, he worked as a businessman, owning two dozen McDonald’s franchise locations.
Mike Johnson
Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA)
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
The Louisiana representative was first elected in 2016. He serves as vice chairman of the House Republican Conference. Rep. Johnson announced his candidacy on Saturday.
“At this critical juncture, our House Republican majority must provide principled leadership,” he said. “It is our duty to chart a new path, and answer with clarity and conviction who we are, why we are here, and what we are fighting for.”
Johnson is an attorney and a former radio host.
Dan Meuser
U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser (R-PA)
Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
The Pennsylvania representative has served in the House since 2019. On Friday, he wrote on social media that should he decide to run, he would be focused on politics of inclusion.
“It’s time to get back to work and fight for a fiscally responsible budget, promote energy dominance, secure our border, protect our national security, weed out corruption, and earn the trust of the American people,” Meuser said.
Gary Palmer
Rep. Gary Palmer (R-Ala)
Nathan Howard/Getty Images
The Alabama representative, a member of the House since 2015, currently serves as the chairman of the Republican Policy Committee. He supported Jordan as the nominee for speaker.
Palmer previously worked as president of a conservative think tank in Alabama.
Austin Scott
Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.)
Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images
The Georgia representative has served in the House since 2011. He announced his candidacy for speaker on Friday.
“If we are going to be the majority we need to act like the majority, and that means we have to do the right things the right way,” he said. “I supported and voted for Rep. Jim Jordan to be the Speaker of the House. Now that he has withdrawn I am running again to be the Speaker of the House.”
Scott owned and operated an insurance brokerage firm for nearly 20 years.
Pete Sessions
Rep. Pete SessionsRep. Pete Sessions
Alex Wong/Getty Images
The Texas representative previously chaired the House Rules Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee. Rep. Sessions announced his candidacy on Friday.
“Congressman Sessions believes he can forge a positive path as a conservative leader who can unite the Conference,” his office said in a statement.
While President Biden has affirmed U.S. support for Israel, Russia and China have called for a cease-fire. Steve Inskeep, host of NPR’s “Morning Edition,” joins CBS News to discuss what we can learn from Abraham Lincoln’s presidency about today’s divisions.
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
If House Republicans won’t rally behind Rep. Jim Jordan or another GOP member to become speaker, GOP Rep. Mike Turner said Sunday that “obviously” a “deal will have to be done” with Democrats for a leader of the lower chamber.
Turner, a Republican from Ohio who chairs the House Intelligence Committee, told “Face the Nation” moderator Margaret Brennan on Sunday that Jordan, the right-wing Judiciary Committee chair, is his pick for McCarthy’s successor. Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina said the same during an appearance on “Face the Nation” last weekend.
Mace was one of eight Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives who voted with all Democrats to oust McCarthy from his role as House Speaker, in a historic revolt by right-wing lawmakers that came in response to McCarthy’s reliance on Democrats to pass funding to avoid a government shutdown. Turner voted alongside the vast majority of Republicans to keep McCarthy as speaker, which is second in line for the presidency.
Since then, the GOP has split as it attempts to elect a new leader. Republican lawmakers on Wednesday selected Majority Leader Steve Scalise as their nominee for House Speaker, with Scalise beating out Jordan in a vote among Republicans by 113 to 99. Scalise later withdrew his name from consideration, and House Republicans on Friday nominated Jordan, with members saying Jordan won 124 votes.
A speaker needs to be elected by a majority of the full House, which in this case is 217 votes, since there are two vacacines. Republicans hold a slim majority in the House, meaning they cannot lose more than four votes. The vote in the House is set to be held Tuesday, and Democrats have advised their caucus to vote for the top House Democrat, Hakeem Jeffries.
The House has not been able to proceed with business as usual since McCarthy’s removal, and calls have grown tremendously for representatives to settle on a replacement in light of the Israel-Hamas war. White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said earlier Sunday that the Biden administration will be requesting more than $2 billion from Congress as part of a bundled aid package for Ukraine and, now, Israel. But the legislature is paralyzed until a new speaker of the House is elected, which Turner called “a tragedy” in his appearance on “Face the Nation.”
Rep. Mike Turner on “Face the Nation,” Oct. 15, 2023.
CBS news
“Kevin McCarthy was fired because he had sought a bipartisan solution to keep the government open and those who wanted to close down the government instead they closed down the House of Representatives with the aides of Democrats,” Turner said, characterizing the move as “a very bad deal for America” and “a bad deal for Hakeem Jeffries.”
“It’s gonna be hard for them in the future to come- if they want to work in bipartisanship when they fired the guy that was sitting there for doing so,” said Turner. “So, at this point, I would prefer there to be a Republican solution, because when they rejected bipartisanship, it’s kind of hard to then go back to it.”
Turner said he believes Jordan would “be an excellent speaker,” and, “if not, we have other leaders in the House.”
“And certainly, if there is a need if the radical, you know, almost just handful of people in the Republican side … make it for us unable to be able to return to general work on the House, then I think obviously, there will be a deal we’ll have to be done,” he added.
Jeffries, the top House Democrat, discussed the race for speaker on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Sunday, saying that “there have been informal discussions” between House Democrats and Republicans aiming to work toward creating a bipartisan governing coalition. Jeffries said he believes the conversations should start formally this coming week.
“We have made clear publicly and privately that we are ready, willing and able to enter into a bipartisan governing coalition,” he said, adding, “we are ready to be reasonable in finding the common ground necessary.”
Jeffries said Democrats are looking to change some of the rules that dictate how the legislature can operate, so that bills with strong bipartisan support can move to a floor vote.
“We want to ensure that votes are taken on bills that have substantial Democratic support and substantial Republican support, so that the extremists aren’t able to dictate the agenda,” he said, noting that a small group of Republicans currently wield huge influence in the chamber and are “able to determine what gets voted on in the House of Representatives.”
Following Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s historic ouster last week as House speaker, House Republicans on Wednesday nominated House Majority Leader Steve Scalise to replace him. However, Scalise still needs enough votes from the full House to secure the position.
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
As Republicans in the House of Representatives debate who should lead the lower chamber, it’s notable that the House speaker — who is second in line for the presidency — doesn’t have to be a member of Congress.
The House has never been led by a non-member in its 234 years of existence, according to the Congressional Research Service, and experts say a non-member speaker is still unlikely. But it is possible.
The House is currently without a speaker after Kevin McCarthy was removed from the position in a vote on Tuesday, the first time in history a speaker has been removed via a no-confidence vote. Rep. Patrick McHenry, a close ally of McCarthy’s, has been named speaker pro tempore, while Reps. Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan have both announced they are running to be the next speaker.
The Constitution has very few requirements to be House speaker. The person must be nominated by a member of the House, then chosen by a majority of the full membership of the House. For a House with 435 members, that’s 218 votes, although there are two vacancies right now.
“The House of Representatives shall chuse their speaker and other officers,” the Constitution reads.
Could Trump actually become speaker of the House?
The far-right GOP Rep. Troy Nehls of Texas announced this week that he would nominate Trump to be speaker. The former president hasn’t ruled out the idea, and Trump received some placatory nominations in the speaker’s election in January.
But the Republican conference’s rules for the 118th Congress suggest Trump could be ineligible to serve as speaker. At the beginning of the year, House Republicans adopted a set of rules including Rule 26, which says a member of leadership who has been indicted for a felony that could carry a sentence of two or more years in prison “shall” vacate their position. Trump faces 91 felony charges across his four criminal state and federal court cases.
“A member of the Republican Leadership shall step aside if indicted for a felony for which a sentence of two or more years imprisonment may be imposed,” the Republican conference rules for the 118th Congress state.
But internally adopted rules can be changed, or ignored, and the Republican conference could do so if they choose.
“A lot of people have been calling me about speaker,” Trump said Wednesday morning outside a New York City courthouse for the New York attorney general’s civil fraud trial against him. “All I can say is we will do whatever is best for the country and other Republican Party and people.”
Trump also told Fox News Digital that he has been asked if he would “take it for a short period of time,” and said he “will do it if necessary.”
In the summer of 2021, Democratic Rep. Brendon Boyle introduced a bill that would have allowed only House members to serve as speaker. At the time, Trump called the idea that he might try to become speaker “so interesting.” The bill did not become law.
What names have been floated to be the new House speaker?
Although more House Republicans are likely to jump into the race to replace McCarthy, House Majority Whip Steve Scalise and Rep. Jim Jordan are the ones who have formally announced their candidacies.
For now, House Financial Services Committee Chairman Rep. Patrick McHenry is serving as speaker pro tempore, a temporary position with limited power that does not appear to allow legislation to pass the lower chamber.
“The House is largely paralyzed at this point,” Republican Rep. Garrett Graves told CBS News on Wednesday.
