Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) on Sunday railed against the House’s struggle to elect a Speaker, reiterating what some of his fellow lawmakers have called “embarrassing.”
“This is probably one of the most embarrassing things I’ve seen,” McCaul said Sunday on ABC News’s “This Week,” noting that he’s serving his 10th term in Congress. “Because if we don’t have a Speaker of the House, we can’t govern. And every day goes by, we’re essentially shut down as a government.”
The House is approaching three weeks without a Speaker following the historic ousting of former Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who was booted from the top spot in a 216-210 vote. Eight Republicans joined all House Democrats in voting to take away the gavel from the California Republican.
McCaul, who serves as the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, pointed to issues around the world — notably Israel’s war with militant group Hamas — that the House cannot address in its current state of paralysis.
“We have very important issues right now with war and peace, and we cannot deal with an aid package or my resolution condemning Hamas and supporting Israel,” McCaul said. “We can’t even pass a resolution condemning Hamas.”
When asked who he would support among the current roster of candidates for Speaker, McCaul would not name a particular individual, instead emphasizing that he wants “a Speaker in the chair.”
“It’s too dangerous right now. The world’s on fire. This is so dangerous, what we’re doing. And more importantly, it’s embarrassing because it empowers and emboldens our adversaries like Chairman Xi who says ‘you know, democracy doesn’t work.”
Republicans vying for the Speakership have been faced with internal division and infighting over the past few weeks, making it more difficult to garner the 217 needed to take the top spot.
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) failed on three rounds of voting on the House floor last week, losing more GOP support with each ballot. The House GOP conference later voted on Friday by a secret ballot to no longer back Jordan as its Speaker nominee, sending the House back to square one.
Since then, numerous Republicans have thrown their hat in the ring, making for a crowded race expected to unfold next week. Some have suggested Republicans may need to work with Democrats in order to secure the votes for a Speaker.
Asked if an arrangement with Democrats would be needed, McCaul said, “This was discussed, I mean, if you can’t get to 217 within our conference…how do you get there? But I think for some, they see that as very dangerous as well.”
Further pressed on if he would rule out working with Democrats, McCaul said, “I’d rather it be the Republicans nominating and voting on the floor for a Republican Speaker but this can’t go on forever. I don’t know if we’re going to have a Speaker next week, I don’t know how this plays out.”
Some Republicans, including Jordan himself, said last week they would support a resolution to empower Speaker Pro Tem Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.), but did not bring it to the floor in the wake of mounting GOP opposition.