Congressman Dusty Johnson’s Weekly Column: What is going on in the House of Representatives?

“Groundhog Day.” “Stalemate.” “Deadlocked.” “Messy.” What is going on in the House of Representatives?

For the past 100 years, electing a Speaker of the House has only taken one vote, and then it’s off to the races. There’s a lot to do at the beginning of the Congress. Swearing-in of all Members, old and new; assigning Committees; and voting on legislation. But this year, electing a Speaker has taken multiple votes. This isn’t unprecedented. Over the course of our history – fourteen times – a Speaker election has taken multiple votes. In 1856, there were 133 ballots until a Speaker was elected.

Essentially, electing a Speaker is a math problem. To become Speaker, a candidate, in this case Representative Kevin McCarthy, needs 218 votes, which is a majority of the 435 Members of the House. Here’s a breakdown of the numbers:

• Democrats have 212 Representatives in the House, so they are unable to get to the magic 218 on their own.
• Republicans have 222 Representatives. Republicans could elect a Speaker on their own, we have the Majority. McCarthy has the support of more than 95% of the conference, which is 215 Members. Seven Members are holding out their support for McCarthy and voting for several other candidates, many who have repeatedly stated they do not want the job of Speaker.

The only Member of the House that can get relatively close to 218 votes is Rep. Kevin McCarthy. As the week has gone on, we have seen progress and movement on both sides, inching McCarthy to 218.

Without a Speaker, nothing can happen in Congress. No Members sworn-in. No Committees or investigations assigned. No legislation passed. No oversight of federal agencies. No opportunity to secure the border.

We need to put our heads together, overcome this obstacle, and get to work for the American people. There is real work to do, and we must elect a Speaker to do the people’s business.

Thankfully there is a silver lining. I believe out of all of this we will be able to govern more effectively as a Republican conference, knowing each other much better than we did last year.

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