(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) A group of four House Democrats initiated a secret move to increase the authority of acting Speaker Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., amid McCarthy allies’ refusal to back House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio., as the next speaker.
This political plan was led by Reps. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., Ed Case, D-Hawaii, Susie Lee, D-Nev., and Jared Golden, D-Maine. The four Democrats made the bid in a two-page letter on Friday.
“In light of our nation’s pressing issues, a looming government shutdown, and the attacks on our key ally, Israel, we strongly support an immediate vote to expand the Speaker Pro Tempore’s authorities to allow for the consideration of a legislative agenda limited to the most pressing issues,” emphasized the Democrats in a joint letter.
As reported by Politico, House Republicans have been deliberating over plans on how to bolster the powers of the acting speaker until a permanent leader is elected. “At some point we have to do a bipartisan deal. I mean, they don’t want to acknowledge it, but these guys do not want to govern,” Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., said.
The House Democrats’ letter made similar allegations. “Unless and until a Speaker of the House is elected, Congress should implement temporary, expanded authorities,” the letter continued.
The four Democrats highlighted that the temporary powers would grant the acting speaker the ability to bring legislation for Ukrainian and Israel aid, in addition to a potential continuing resolution until January 2023.
“The government cannot continue to be hamstrung — leaving American families, our economy, and national security at risk. We hope you’d agree that we must restart the business of the House of Representatives without delay,” reiterated the group.
The recent internal developments within the Republican camp witnessed the emergence of Jordan as the favored candidate for House speaker, after House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., withdrew from the race due to a lack of support from staunch conservatives.
Jordan enjoys the endorsement of former President Donald Trump.
