Pelosi: Republicans Can’t Give McHenry More Power Without Electing Him Speaker
House immobilized at a critical time without a speaker after McCarthy was ousted
The last House speaker to serve longer than a few months in the job is pouring cold water on plans to somehow empower Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry until a new, permanent speaker is chosen.
Members of Congress have floated the idea to grant McHenry additional power to lead the House in order to get important pieces of legislation — such as a federal budget and aid to Ukraine and Israel — approved.
Such calls have been amplified in recent days as House Republicans, who hold the majority in the chamber, continue to flail ineffectively without being able to select a new speaker.
The House has been without a speaker and unable to function legislatively for two weeks since a small group of far-right lawmakers successfully led an effort to oust Rep Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif) as speaker.
Rep Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) failed in his attempts to be elected speaker.
And this comes as the federal government is just weeks away from shutting down due to lack of funding and President Biden is seeking new foreign assistance for military conflicts in Israel and Ukraine.
However, it's not possible to somehow empower McHenry in the way some are suggesting, according Rep Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif), who served as House speaker until January.
The speaker pro tempore position was created in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in order to help guarantee continuance of US government in case of further attacks.
The only power granted the position is to run the House floor to elect a new, permanent speaker.
“However, I will say from a standpoint of the speakership, you really cannot give Mr. McHenry power, some would suggest it would let him do this or that. You have to make him speaker,” Pelosi said. “Then he has the awesome power of the speakership. The question is, for how long? My hearing is that it will be to the end of this session, so until the end of the year.”
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