House prepares to pick its next leader as war breaks out in Israel

The House this week will look to pick its next leader following former Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) shocking ouster, which left the chamber without a top lawmaker and brought legislative business to a screeching halt.

The fight for the gavel comes on the backdrop of a war in Israel, which broke out over the weekend when Hamas, an Iranian-backed terrorist organization, launched a surprise attack on Israel. The conflict has already led to more than 1,000 deaths, and Hamas is said to be holding more than 100 hostages.

The clash in the Middle East is upping the pressure on lawmakers to elect a new Speaker this week, with questions looming about what — if anything — the House can do to aid and support Israel without a Speaker in place.

The Senate is out of session this week.

Speakerless House looks to address war in Israel

The House this week will look to address the situation in Israel, a prospect that is being complicated by the fact that the chamber is currently without a Speaker.

It remains unclear what authority the House has to conduct business in support of Israel — if it can at all — without a permanent Speaker in place. Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) is serving as Speaker pro tempore, but his authority is extremely limited.

Administration officials told top lawmakers Sunday night that four Americans were killed in the Israel attacks over the weekend, a source familiar with the situation confirmed to The Hill.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) emphasized the need to elect a Speaker this week so the chamber can support Israel. He said he and Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), the ranking member of the committee, are working on a bipartisan resolution condemning Hamas for actions over the weekend.

“We have to get a Speaker elected this week so we can get things on the floor like replenishing the Iron Dome, get a resolution that ranking member Meeks and I have been working on, bipartisan resolution condemning Hamas for what they have done to Israel,” McCaul told CNN’s “State of the Union” in an interview.

“We want to get that on the floor by unanimous consent, whether or not we have a Speaker in place, because I think we cannot wait. We have to get that message out as soon as possible,” he added.

Asked if lawmakers are able to provide more Congressional aid to Israel without a Speaker, McCaul said “it’s not ideal.”

“It wasn’t my idea to oust the Speaker; I thought it was dangerous,” he added. “You know, I look at the world and all of the threats that are out there, and what kind of message are we sending to our adversaries when we can’t govern? When we’re dysfunctional? We don’t even have a Speaker of the House.”

Questions are also looming regarding whether or not McHenry can be briefed as part of the Gang of Eight. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) told CNN in an interview Sunday morning that the Gang of Eight had not yet been briefed on the situation because leaders “have been scattered throughout the country.”

House GOP candidate forum

House Republicans are set to meet behind closed doors Monday evening, then again Tuesday for their candidate forum.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) are vying for the gavel, setting the scene for an intense battle between two GOP heavyweights.

The two men have spoken to different factions within the House GOP conference and have picked up endorsements from more than 20 lawmakers apiece. They both think they are the right person to unite the conference after last week’s stunning vote to oust McCarthy as Speaker.

“I think I’m the one candidate who can unite our conference and then go tell the American people what we’re doing and why it matters to them, why it’s important to their family, to their community, to their small business, why it’s important what we’re doing for our country,” Jordan told Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures.”

Scalise voiced a similar message during an interview with “Fox & Friends” on Friday.

“The problems that we have internally, they don’t go away with the new Speaker. But the real question the members have is, how do we get things back on track? And the reason I’ve been able to build such a strong base of support over these last few days that’s been growing is that I’ve got a long proven record and somebody who knows how to unify Republicans to fight on the battles that matter for the families who gave us this majority,” Scalise said.

House GOP internal election

If all goes according to plan, the House GOP conference will vote on a Speaker nominee Wednesday, then take the candidacy to the floor.

That timeline, however, could be pushed back.

A group of 94 House Republicans signed a letter to McHenry and House GOP Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) last week asking that the conference’s internal rules be changed to temporarily raise the threshold needed to nominate a Speaker candidate, a move that would help avoid another drawn-out Speaker’s race like the one that took place in January.

Members are looking to increase the threshold to win the Speaker’s nomination from a simple majority of the conference to a majority of the House, according to sources familiar with the letter, which would help fast-track the election on the House floor.

While that change would help avoid another multi-ballot election on the House floor, it could drag out the conference’s internal process, especially as a handful of Republicans lay down various demands.

Some lawmakers, for example, have said they want to change the rules to increase the threshold needed to force a vote on ousting the Speaker to avoid another situation like the one the House found itself in last week, when eight Republicans and all present House Democrats joined forces to boot McCarthy from the top spot. And Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) — who voted to oust McCarthy last week — for example, said Sunday that he will not support a Speaker candidate “until the conference figures out spending.”

Jordan, for his part, said the House needs to install a Speaker “as soon as possible” amid the fighting in Israel. And Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), who is supporting Jordan, said the House is “going to get through this Speaker of the House vote pretty quickly this week” in light of the situation in Israel.

Democrats are scheduled to huddle for an “organizational meeting” Tuesday night where they will nominate House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) for Speaker, according to a dear colleague letter from House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.).

Floor fight

Once Republicans pick a nominee for Speaker, lawmakers will head to the House floor to decide who wields the gavel moving forward.

The floor vote for Speaker could take several ballots — as was the case in January — or, if Republicans coalesce around a single candidate, the process could move quickly.

Which possibility will become reality remains an open question.

In a sign of a potential speedy process, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) — who led the effort to topple McCarthy as Speaker — said he will support whichever man “get[s] the most support in the conference.” In January, Gaetz withheld his support from McCarthy throughout all 15 ballots.

Democrats, for their part, have made a pitch for a coalition government as a way of moving forward, considering recent events in the House — the ousting of McCarthy and a near shutdown and economic default — coupled with the slim majority Republicans have. The chances of that bipartisanship coming to fruition, however, are extremely low.

Clark last week told House Democrats that their attendance during the floor vote for Speaker is “vital” in order for the caucus can throw its support behind Jeffries.

“Each member of our caucus must be physically present on the Floor for next week’s proceedings,” Clark wrote.

“The contrast between House Democrats’ principled unity and the House GOP’s dysfunction and disarray has never been more stark,” she later added. “The country will be watching the Speaker election. Our unity in voting for Speaker Hakeem Jeffries will be a powerful demonstration of our commitment to democracy, equality, and justice, and to restoring integrity and good governance in the People’s House.”