Rep. Kelly proposes temporary speaker to avoid shutdown
With a government shutdown looming, Rep. Mike Kelly, R-16th, has introduced legislation he believes will drive the Republican-controlled House out of limbo.
Kelly’s resolution, introduced Monday, Oct. 16, proposes additional powers for the House’s interim speaker: North Carolina’s Rep. Patrick McHenry.
Since the ousting this month of former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy of California, the GOP majority has been unable to unify behind a replacement.
As an appointee to the speakership, McHenry is unable to move legislation to the House floor. Kelly’s proposal to formally elect him until Nov. 17 — when legislation funding the federal government expires — would allow the house to consider “critical legislation,” according to a letter sent to members of Congress.
“By electing Representative McHenry as Speaker Pro Tempore of the House of Representatives, the House will be able to hold votes necessary to fund the government beyond the expiration of our current fiscal year,” Kelly wrote in the letter.
The move would also allow the house to consider legislation, such as Kelly’s recent resolution concerning border security, according to the letter, as well as “potential aid to our ally Israel during their war with the terror group, Hamas.”
Kelly, who voiced support online for McCarthy following his ousting, backed the nomination of Louisiana’s Rep. Steve Scalise on Oct. 11.
After Scalise’s withdrawal from the race the following day, Republicans nominated Ohio’s Rep. Jim Jordan on Oct. 13.
Democrats have nominated minority leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York for the speakership.
Jordan, founder of the far-right Freedom Caucus, is known for his steadfast alignment with former President Donald Trump. His nomination further divided the already-split Republican majority.
The House speaker vote began Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 17. Jordan will need 217 of the 221 GOP caucus members to vote for him to succeed.
As of 1:20 p.m., Kelly had voted for Scalise — making him the 10th Republican to not vote for Jordan on the first ballot and one of seven Republicans to vote for Scalise.
By 1:50 p.m., Jordan had received 200 votes in the first ballot and Jeffries had received 212. A remaining 20 votes were split between Scalise, McCarthy and four other Republicans.
No speaker was chosen.
Ahead of the vote, Kelly shared his resolution to the ongoing deadlock via X, the social media platform, drawing mixed reactions from his followers.
“We can have a healthy debate about who should lead the House Republican Conference, and I will continue to engage in that debate with you,” Kelly wrote in his letter. “In the meantime, we have work to do that is in our nation’s interest, both home and abroad.”
