![]() “Committee assignments is one good example,” he explained. “One reason why you don’t see more opposition to the Speaker in the modern era is that the Speaker controls all kinds of valuable resources that members of the House of Representatives really want,” Fong said. Still, she managed to keep the gavel even though two centrist members of her caucus nominated other candidates and three others voted “present” as a form of protest. Pelosi herself faced internal opposition when she was up for reelection as Speaker in 2021, with House Democrats likewise holding a slim majority at the time. Several far-right Republicans have already promised not to back McCarthy, painting him as a career politician who does not share their populist ideals. With Democrats all but certain to vote against McCarthy, a handful of Republicans can ensure that he does not get to the 218 votes he needs to replace outgoing Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Republicans have 222 seats in the incoming House - a tiny majority in the 435-member chamber. “It’s a very thin majority, so it only takes a small group of determined representatives to really get together and pose a credible threat to prevent the Speaker from being elected,” Fong told Al Jazeera. While there has been vocal opposition by legislators of both parties to the growing power of the Speaker, Fong foresees a particularly rough path to the gavel for McCarthy. ![]() That “gives them a tremendous amount of control over what becomes law”. Whoever is elected Speaker holds “massive influence over what sorts of bills and amendments get voted on in Congress”, said Christian Fong, a political science professor at the University of Michigan. Should that happen again on Tuesday, House legislators will hold further rounds of voting until a candidate can secure the needed votes. The last time a Speaker was not elected in the first roll call was exactly 100 years ago. Not only does the Speaker preside over the lower chamber of Congress, but they also stand second in line to the presidency, ready to lead the country if both the president and vice president are unable to serve. The House Speaker plays a critical role in the US government. And that, in turn, would practically make the chamber nonfunctional. So when the incoming Congress meets for the first time on Tuesday, a majority may fail to materialise in support of a new House Speaker. Washington, DC – The election of the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives - usually a formality - is a nail-biter this year.Īlthough Republicans narrowly won the House in November’s midterm elections, GOP leader Kevin McCarthy does not have an assured majority to take the gavel amid opposition from a few members of his own caucus.
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