House Speakership Now
Vacant, Lawmaking in Congress at a Standstill
The U.S. House of Representatives took the historic step last
week of declaring the Office of the Speaker to be vacant, thus ending the Speakership
of U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA). McCarthy stated that he will not attempt to regain the position.
The House will now be led by an acting Speaker pro tempore.
This is a strictly ministerial position whose sole role is to guide the House
toward the election of a new Speaker. This position was created following the
9/11-terrorist attacks on the United States so that there is clear authority to
convene the House and to preside over the election of a new Speaker. The rule
provides that if the House cannot quickly elect a new Speaker, a Speaker pro tempore
may be chosen which would then allow the House to conduct other legislative business until a new Speaker is elected.
Following the vote to vacate the Speaker’s chair, the
Clerk of the House announced that U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) had been designated
as the acting Speaker pro tempore. McHenry assumed the Chair and immediately declared
the House recessed, subject to the call of the Chair. At press time, it is unclear
when that will occur, but it is likely to be sometime during the week of Oct. 9.
Since the continuity of Congress rules change when a new Speaker
is elected, the new Speaker provides to the Clerk a prioritized list of individuals
to serve as acting Speaker pro tempore should the need arise. Therefore, McHenry was Speaker McCarthy’s designee.
Two members have announced their candidacy for Speaker: U.S.
Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA), the current House Majority Leader, and U.S. Rep. Jim
Jordan (R-OH), the Chairman of the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Since the House and therefore the Congress cannot finalize
any legislation—including funding bills—until there is a new Speaker, this
means that lawmaking is at a standstill until that occurs. |
