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Rep. Carol Miller tells CNN she’s not pleased with McCarthy’s concessions on motion to vacate
From CNN’s DJ Judd and Kaitlan Collins
West Virginia Republican Carol Miller said Thursday she’s displeased with the concessions that Rep. Kevin McCarthy has been forced to make in his speakership bid for 218 votes, including lowering the threshold for a motion to vacate to one.
Miller, who’s backing McCarthy’s bid, said she was not in meetings last night or this morning, but expressed frustration with how the process has played out.
“I don’t like it – he has two years to prove himself, and that goes by very quickly, so I think we just need to get on with the business that the American people have sent us here to do,” Miller told CNN. “And that is to govern. It’s to take care of our border, it’s to get spending under control. It’s to be leaders.”
Still, she expressed the hope that the fight for speaker — which has drawn out for six votes over two days so far — would end today.
First on CNN: McCarthy proposes more key concessions as House enters 3rd day of speaker stalemate
From CNN’s Clare Foran, Melanie Zanona, Manu Raju and Lauren Fox
After suffering yet another stinging defeat on Wednesday, in which he lost a sixth round of voting for House speaker, Kevin McCarthy proposed more key concessions in his push to get 218 votes – including agreeing to propose a rules change that would allow just one member to call for a vote to oust a sitting speaker, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
The major concession comes as McCarthy is struggling to find a path forward with the House adjourned until 12 p.m. ET on Thursday.
The House GOP majority has been stuck at a contentious stalemate amid opposition to McCarthy from a group of conservatives. The fight, which began on the first day of the 118th Congress, has thrown the new House GOP majority into chaos and undercut the party’s agenda.
The House will continue to be paralyzed until this standoff is resolved. The situation has grown dire for McCarthy’s political future as Republican allies are beginning to fear that the House GOP leader may not be able to pull off his gamble for speaker if the fight goes much longer.
It’s not at all clear whether McCarthy and his allies will be able to lock down the votes – and the longer the fight drags on, the more imperiled his speakership bid has become. But there were signs Wednesday that negotiations are progressing.
McCarthy’s latest concession would be a significant win for hardline conservatives – after the California Republican had already proposed a five-member threshold, down from current conference rules that require half of the GOP to call for such a vote. But many more moderate members had been concerned about giving in to the far-right on this matter since it could weaken the speakership and cause chaos in the ranks.
In two more concessions, the sources said, he’s also agreed to allow for more members of the Freedom Caucus to serve on the powerful House Rules Committee, which dictates how and whether bills come to the floor, and to vote on a handful of bills that are priorities for the holdouts, including proposing term limits on members and a border security plan.
Nothing is final, however, since the negotiations are ongoing. And Republican sources say that even if McCarthy’s offer is accepted, it would still not get him the 218 votes he needs to be speaker. While these concessions could attract some new support, other opponents have raised different concerns that have yet to be fully addressed.
GOP Rep. Davidson tells CNN he thinks McCarthy will never get to 218 votes
From CNN’s Kaitlan Collins and DJ Judd
Ohio Republican Warren Davidson, who is backing Kevin McCarthy’s embattled bid for House Speaker and nominated McCarthy on the floor Wednesday, acknowledged in an interview with CNN that the window may be closing for the California Republican.
“The reality is, there are some people who, in their estimation, there’s no way they’re going to be able to support Kevin McCarthy,” he said, adding that some others who could be persuaded also “hardened up” to oppose.
“I think the number that will never vote for Kevin McCarthy is more than four,” he added.
Davidson acknowledged that some concessions were made overnight, including lowering the threshold for a motion to vacate and adding members of the House Freedom Caucus to the Rules Committee. It “did make a difference,” he added.
Davidson is also a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus.
As members meet Thursday morning, they will discuss what items remain on their agenda and whether the concessions move some of them to support McCarthy or if they will remain united to get the remaining items on their list, Davidson explained.
“We’ll see at noon and either we’ll have the votes at noon, which is a tough challenge, or there will be another adjournment and say we have signs for more progress,” he added.
Though he declined to explicitly call for McCarthy to withdraw, he hinted there may be a time to start discussing alternative options. “At some point we have to have a speaker.”
It is unclear if another vote for House speaker will happen at noon ET — or if members will adjourn
From CNN’s Manu Raju
As negotiations continue Thursday morning, embattled GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy is leery of having more voting rounds with 20 members opposed, and wants to show forward momentum, according to a source familiar.
If he can demonstrate that, they may move ahead with a vote on the seventh ballot at noon ET when the House is set to convene.
If he feels like they need more time to talk to demonstrate that, they may seek to adjourn, and will need 218 votes.
House members denied sensitive security meetings until being sworn in
From CNN’s Andrea Cambron
House Republicans warn that prolonging selecting a speaker, which therefore delays their swearing-in as members of the new congress hampers their ability to do their jobs, including national security related briefings and oversight.
House Republicans held a news conference Wednesday where Wisconsin Rep. Mike Gallagher, who is on the Armed Services Committee, said he was denied from entering a meeting with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs because he was informed by House Security that he doesn’t have a clearance.
“I’m a member of the House Intel Committee — I’m on the Armed Services committee, and I can’t meet in the SCIF to conduct essential business” Gallagher said.
The SCIF is the Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility that is used by military and national security officials to process sensitive and classified information.
Ohio Rep. Brad Wenstrup said House members are not able to work in their secure facility because they don’t currently have a clearance.
“Right now we can’t be in there at al,” Wenstrup said.
In a tweet thread on Wednesday, House Armed Services Democrats also laid out the risks holding out on naming a Speaker has on national security.
“Kevin McCarthy & the MAGA extremists holding the speakership hostage aren’t just creating chaos for the Republican party. They’ve hampered the ability of Congress to function in its oversight role, presenting a clear threat to national security” HASC Democrats tweeted.
Moderate Republicans are open to new rules but aren’t happy
From CNN’s Lauren Fox
One moderate Republican tells CNN that they aren’t happy about the concessions Kevin McCarthy is making to get the votes for becoming House Speaker, but they are willing to have “discussions.”
The fear, as CNN has reported, is that lowering the threshold for a vote to oust the speaker to one will make governing on items like the debt limit and funding almost impossible.
“I don’t like the rules but am willing to hear discussions. I think they’re a mistake for the conference. These handful of folks want a weak speaker with a four-vote majority. The public will not like what they see of the GOP I fear,” the member said.
Protracted battle for speaker is “embarrassing” for Republicans, GOP Rep. Zinke says
From CNN’s Kaitlan Collins and DJ Judd
The protracted battle for Speaker of the House is “embarrassing,” Congressman-elect Ryan Zinke told CNN Thursday, blasting “disorganization,” and “dysfunction” within his own Conference.
“I think it’s embarrassing. I do, and there’s a lot of hard feelings on both sides,” Zinke said. “Again, you have 90% of the caucus — 90% of the caucus — standing firmly behind Kevin McCarthy. Is he perfect? No, I don’t, I don’t think anyone is perfect. But how you win battles is you leverage the chairman, you encourage the members, you listen to members and lead forward and articulate.”
The Montana Republican, who’s voted for McCarthy six times — and intends to do so again Thursday — said there have been “several mistakes” from Republicans throughout the process.
“If you have differences, solve the differences internally, don’t ride the flagpole and show, you know, disorganization, dysfunction — not only to America, but the world, because the world is watching this,” he said.
Zinke, who served as Interior Secretary under Donald Trump, admitted that the former President’s backing “did not have influence, because it really didn’t change any votes.”
Still, he said that he believes McCarthy will ultimately win the race for speaker and that the larger question at hand is what Republicans do if and when they coalesce behind a leader.
Pelosi says she was told no swearing-in of members without a speaker
From CNN’s Nicky Robertson
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters Wednesday that she was told today there could not be ceremonial swearing-ins without a speaker.
This morning Pelosi had advocated for some sort of swearing-in as family members and others are in Washington for the first day of the new Congress.
“We had to have a speaker in order to do that,” Pelosi said, “we pursued that, they said you have to have an absolute speaker.”
Republicans scramble to make last-minute deals as speaker stalemate stretches into third day
From CNN’s Clare Foran, Melanie Zanona, Manu Raju and Lauren Fox
Kevin McCarthy suffered yet another stinging defeat on Wednesday as he lost in the sixth round of voting to elect a speaker — a major blow that increasingly imperils his bid and heightens uncertainty over whether he can still secure the gavel or if a viable candidate will emerge as an alternative.
The House GOP majority has been stuck at a contentious stalemate amid opposition to McCarthy from a group of conservatives. The fight, which began on the first day of the 118th Congress, has thrown the new House GOP majority into chaos and undercut the party’s agenda.
The House will continue to be paralyzed until this standoff is resolved. The situation has grown dire for McCarthy’s political future as Republican allies are beginning to fear that the House GOP leader may not be able to pull off his gamble for speaker if the fight goes much longer.
It’s not at all clear whether McCarthy and his allies will be able to lock down the votes — and the longer the fight drags on, the more imperiled his speakership bid has become. But there were signs Wednesday that negotiations are progressing.
Last-minute deal-making: After a series of failed speaker votes earlier in the day, the House adjourned for several hours Wednesday as Republicans continued talks.
Texas Rep. Chip Roy, one of the conservatives who has voted against McCarthy’s speakership bid, told GOP leaders that he thinks he can get 10 holdouts to come along if these ongoing negotiations pan out, according to GOP sources familiar with the internal discussions, and that there are additional detractors who may be willing to vote “present.”
Sources said the talks Wednesday between McCarthy allies and holdouts have been the most productive and serious ones to date. And in one sign of a breakthrough, a McCarthy-aligned super PAC agreed to not play in open Republican primaries in safe seats — one of the big demands that conservatives had asked for but that McCarthy had resisted until this point.
Still, even if these negotiations prove successful and 10 lawmakers do flip to McCarthy’s column — which is far from certain — that doesn’t get McCarthy to the 218 votes to win the speakership, so he would still have more work to do.
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