Embarrassing, Says Biden As US House Speaker Stalemate Continues For Second Day

A candidate is required to gain votes from a majority of lawmakers to get elected as the speaker. It means if all 435 members are present and voting, the number of votes needed is 218.

The seat of the US House Speaker stands empty as the House of Representatives continues voting for new speaker at the US Capitol in Washington, DC

Source : AFP

United States President Joe Biden slammed the Republicans as the election for US House speakership did not reach any conclusion on Wednesday as well after Republican leader Kevin McCarthy failed to receive speaker’s approval for the sixth time as his critics stood firm in their opposition to his candidacy, reported the Guardian. After the House was adjourned for a few hours, McCarthy and his allies went into negotiations with the Republican holdouts without a clear path forward to end the standoff.

Meanwhile talking with the reporters, Biden said, "That's not my problem. I just think it's a little embarrassing it's taking so long and the way they're dealing with one another."

Another three inconclusive votes were held in the House on Wednesday, mirroring the three votes held a day earlier. 

No speaker candidate was able to successfully capture the 218 votes across all six ballots, expected to be needed for a victory. For the first time in a century, the stalemate has marked that a House speaker was not chosen in the initial vote. 

After the sixth vote on Wednesday evening, the House moved to adjourn until at least 8pm ET, giving Republicans more time to reach a solution.

“It looks messy,” Congressman Mike Gallagher, a Republican of Wisconsin, in a speech nominating McCarthy for speaker on Wednesday, “but democracy is messy,” quoted by the publication. 

The first day of the 118th Congress adjourned on Tuesday without the selection of a new House speaker. Republican leader Kevin McCarthy, who was expected to win the speakership after Republicans regained the majority in November's midterm elections, failed to secure enough votes to become speaker of the House on three ballots.

The House was unable to choose a speaker on the first vote for the first time in a century on Tuesday with voting expected to resume on Wednesday.

The chaotic day one of the Congress indicated there was no easy way ahead for McCarthy who promised to fight to the finish for the position despite opposition from the chamber's most conservative members. 

McCarthy, who was required to get 218 votes in the full House managed 203 in two rounds. The number was less than Democrat Hakeem Jeffries in the GOP-controlled chamber and fared even worse with 202 in round three, reported news agency AP.

A candidate is required to gain votes from a majority of lawmakers to get elected as the speaker. It means if all 435 members are present and voting, the number of votes needed is 218.

Also, note that lawmakers can decide to skip the vote, or vote ‘present,’ which further reduces the vote threshold needed to win the speakership. Speakers Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif and John Boehner, R-Ohio were chosen as speakers without reaching 218 votes, according to USA Today.

In a situation where the first ballot fails to provide a speaker, lawmakers will continue to vote until a candidate receives a majority. Members are allowed to vote for different candidates on each ballot.