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On Wednesday, the splintered faction nominated the archconservative lawmaker, previously the Republican number two in the U.S. House of Representatives. In a party-line vote, Scalise received 113 votes, defeating radical Rep. Jim Jordan, who received only 99 votes.
But the crucial vote on the presidency of the US House of Representatives was postponed indefinitely – because some dissenters have already spoken out. Time is of the essence, especially when it comes to supporting Israel and Ukraine.
Republicans with a wafer-thin majority in the House of Representatives
The Republicans currently have 221 representatives in the House of Representatives. 217 votes are needed to be elected chairman. That means Scalise can only afford four dissidents in his group. He can hardly count on votes from US President Joe Biden’s Democrats. The situation is as complicated as it was in January, when Kevin McCarthy entered the race for the top job. He was only elected in the 15th round, entered office completely weakened and was eventually driven out of office by his own people in a historic vote last week. Republicans will likely want to do everything in their power to prevent such a situation from happening again.
But the party is anything but united. The mood within the party shows that Scalise lacks support. Scalise’s opponent Jim Jordan, who was supported by former US President Donald Trump, received 99 votes. Some MPs voted for other candidates or abstained. Jordan said after the vote that he would now support Scalise. But that does not convince all his supporters, who expressed doubts about the nominee’s suitability.
Scalise as face of the establishment
The 58-year-old from Louisiana currently leads the Republican faction in the House. He is currently being treated for blood cancer. Some Republicans therefore doubted whether he would enter the race. Nevertheless, after McCarthy was voted out, Scalise quickly announced his intention to become Speaker of the House of Representatives. Although he is considered less radical than Jordan, he is by no means part of the party’s moderate camp.
Scalise has a staunchly conservative profile and advocates against abortion and gay marriage. He also speaks out against stricter gun laws, doubts scientifically proven climate change and supports Trump’s travel ban on people from Islamic countries. Scalise also made headlines in 2002 with a speech to a group of white supremacists, for which he later apologized. Nevertheless, even he is seen by some party hardliners as part of the Washington political establishment they reject.
Dissenters criticize Scalise
About a dozen Republicans said after Scalise’s nomination that they would not vote for him in the vote. Among them is ultra-right Marjorie Taylor Greene, who cited Scalise’s disease as a reason for her position. She announced that she would vote for Jordan in a vote. Rep. Lauren Boebert, who supports lax gun laws, also said she was unhappy with Scalise’s past work and therefore would not vote for him.
It was expected that Scalise would now talk to the dissenters and try to get them on his side. This could lead to a similar situation to what happened with McCarthy in January. The now dismissed chairman made so many concessions to his opponents that they eventually controlled him. At the time, this also included the fact that only one MP was needed to submit a motion to remove the chairman from office. In doing so, McCarthy finally dug his political grave. His opponent Matt Gaetz submitted a similar proposal last week – and McCarthy failed to secure a majority, costing him the prestigious post.
Congress is virtually unable to act
The Speaker of the House of Representatives ranks third among states, behind the President and his Vice President. Without a well-elected chairman, parliamentary work largely comes to a standstill. This is especially a problem in the current tense global political situation with numerous sources of conflict, as Scalise also emphasized after his appointment. The parliamentary chamber must quickly become functional again and, for example, approve further military aid to Israel after the Hamas attacks, he said.
It remains unclear how support for Ukraine would continue under Scalise. Congress had recently passed a last-minute budget in mid-November to prevent government business from coming to a standstill. This did not include aid to Ukraine. Scalise had in the past supported funding for the country under attack by Russia. But it is unclear how he would behave under pressure from his fellow party members, some of whom reject further military aid because they would prefer to see the money spent domestically. Scalise has recently refrained from making public statements on the subject.
(SDA)
Source:Blick
I am Liam Livingstone and I work in a news website. My main job is to write articles for the 24 Instant News. My specialty is covering politics and current affairs, which I’m passionate about. I have worked in this field for more than 5 years now and it’s been an amazing journey. With each passing day, my knowledge increases as well as my experience of the world we live in today.
