For the first time in US history, the majority leader, Republican Kevin McCarthy, failed to be elected Speaker of the House of Representatives after six ballots over two days.
Twenty deputies from the Bancada da Liberdade, formed by ultraconservatives, voted for other candidates, causing an impasse that paralyzed the work of the Chamber.
The session was suspended at the end of this Wednesday afternoon, until 22:00 in Brasilia (20:00 in Washington), while McCarthy and his allies negotiate with the rebels.
During the weeks that followed the elections of November 8, McCarthy had already made concessions to the group, which proved to be insatiable, since without its votes the leader cannot be elected president: he needs 218 votes, in the universe of 434 House seats, 222 of them held by Republicans.
McCarthy, for example, accepted that five deputies can present a motion to put the removal of the president of the Chamber to a vote. Originally the group demanded that one deputy was sufficient.
He also accepted that the House can block the allocation of funds to the federal government – currently in the hands of the Democrats – to suspend programs, dismiss and reduce the salary of public servants.
Other demands were not accepted. The conservative caucus wanted to exclude the PAC, the main campaign collection and financing committee of the Republican Party, from allocating funds to pre-candidates of the primaries.
That’s because McCarthy, who controls the committee, has funded moderate pre-candidate campaigns, to the detriment of Trumpists, which the caucus represents.
They also wanted to change the House rule to require the Union’s Budget to pass by a two-thirds instead of a simple majority; they wanted to limit the terms of deputies; and guarantees of funds to reinforce the southwest border with Mexico.
Even an appeal by former President Donald Trump, who leads the radicals, did not help after talking with McCarthy: “Very good conversations took place yesterday [terça-feira] night, and now it’s time for our great Republican House members to vote for Kevin, close the issue, take the win,” wrote the former president this Wednesday morning on his social network, Truth Social.
“Republicans, don’t turn a great triumph into a gigantic and embarrassing defeat,” he added, referring to the November elections, which gave the party a majority in the House.
In interviews with CNN , representatives of the rebel group said they demand more transparency in the Budget vote. Ten years ago, Budget proposals were presented by each committee. Since then, they have been presented in packages, called buses, which according to them reduces the transparency of the process.
Elections of Speakers of the House are usually simple in the United States: the majority caucus elects the president, and the minority caucus elects the leader of the opposition. That’s what the Democrats did, who elected Hakeem Jeffries the first black leader of the bench, unanimously: 212 votes.
The only time in history that the president was not elected on the first ballot was in 1923. But it was on the second. Six unsolved rounds is a first.
Two possible solutions were discussed on Wednesday night: a consensus candidate from the Republican Party, or an agreement between moderate Republicans and the Democratic caucus.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
