Withdrawal of Speaker of the House Candidacy Amid Party Hardliners' Opposition
Israel Support and Next Year's Budget Among Pressing Issues
Steve Scalise, the House Republican leader who was elected as the Republican candidate for Speaker of the House, ultimately withdrew from the Speaker race after internal party conflicts. Amid pressing issues such as support for Israel following a surprise attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas and the handling of next year's budget, the unprecedented vacancy caused by the removal of the Speaker in U.S. legislative history is expected to prolong the chaos.
According to Bloomberg News on the 12th (local time), Scalise expressed this intention to Republican lawmakers during a closed-door meeting held that evening.
Earlier, the Republican majority in the House passed a resolution to remove former Speaker Kevin McCarthy and then elected Scalise as the next Republican candidate for Speaker. However, about ten Republican lawmakers openly opposed Scalise within the party, which eventually led to his withdrawal.
To be elected Speaker, Scalise needed a majority of the full membership (433 members), which is 217 votes. However, CNN reported that at least 12 of the 221 Republican House members publicly opposed Scalise’s candidacy. Scalise reportedly attempted to persuade supporters of his rival, Chairman Jim Jordan, to gather votes ahead of the House floor vote, but this effort was also reportedly difficult.
Currently, the Republican seats in the House hold a narrow lead over the Democrats (212 members), so the possibility of defections within the party raises concerns that the turmoil seen during McCarthy’s election could be repeated.
Although the U.S. Congress is at a standstill, the situation inside and outside the United States is far from easy. The Biden administration is requesting congressional approval for package support for Israel and Ukraine, where it is indirectly involved in the wars. The processing of next year’s budget is also urgent. If the budget for next year is not passed by the 17th of next month, when the temporary budget passed at the end of last month expires, there is a risk of a government shutdown.
Bloomberg News pointed out, "This situation has only deepened internal divisions," adding, "The approaching deadline for budget approval and Congress’s response to the Middle East war are being delayed."
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