The House has voted to adjourn after a Thursday evening vote marked the 11th straight loss for Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in his quest to become Speaker of the House.
The results were largely unchanged from all three of Wednesday’s and Thursday’s first four votes, with McCarthy garnering 200 votes, 20 Republicans voting for another candidate and one voting “present.”
Lawmakers are still in negotiations but are touting progress.
The result will bring the House Speakership fight to a 12th ballot, tying it for the fifth-longest in history. The House will reconvene at noon on Friday.
Follow along with live updates from The Hill below:
Conservative holdouts mum on possible McCarthy deal
Conservative holdouts on Thursday night remained tight-lipped over whether a deal has been struck that would help GOP leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) become Speaker of the House in the coming days.
Scott Perry (R-Pa.), the head of the House Freedom Caucus, said that some of the 20 members who have opposed McCarthy are still “evaluating” the potential deal, which would include significant concessions for the group.
Perry and other conservatives were huddling in incoming House Majority Whip Tom Emmer’s (R-Minn.) office to hammer out an accord. Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) was also noncommittal, saying “we’re still working through everything.”
Roy also suggested, however, the group would come to some sort of conclusion by noon on Friday when the House is slated to reconvene and potentially hold more votes.
“We have a vote tomorrow at noon last time I checked,” Roy said.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), a McCarthy backer, noted that there had been progress.
“I think there’s a lot of progress today,” Massie said, adding that he couldn’t say whether there will be a Speaker by week’s end.
Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), who had received the votes of all 20 GOP defectors on several of the ballots, also said there was “positive dialogue,” but also declined to say whether McCarthy has the votes to win the gavel tomorrow.
— Al Weaver and Emily Brooks
Miller tight-lipped on prospects of McCarthy victory
Exiting a meeting in Rep. Tom Emmer’s (R-Minn.) office Thursday night, Rep. Mary Miller (R-Ill.) said the sun will come up tomorrow — but wouldn’t say whether Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) will be Speaker when that happens.
Lawmakers have been tight-lipped, especially after Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) lashed out about details of an agreement that was discussed Wednesday night being leaked to the press.
— Emily Brooks
McCarthy says he’s feeling ‘more positive today’
McCarthy, leaving the Capitol just before 10 p.m., said he’s feeling better about his odds now than he did 24 hours ago.
“I felt very positive yesterday, I feel more positive today,” he told reporters.
McCarthy pointed out that the 20 detractors, while holding firm through Thursday’s ballots, did not gain in numbers “which you would have thought” would happen if the winds were truly shifting away from him.
McCarthy also asked “who else” within the conference has a chance of winning enough votes to take the Speakership.
Asked if he’s wrapped up the support to win the gavel on Friday, he was noncommittal.
“We’ll see,” he said.
— Mike Lillis
Andy Harris, GOP McCarthy holdout, declines to comment on potential deal
Freshman congressional retreat postponed due to Speakership fight: ‘Total chaos’
Bacon says new deal could peel off 10 McCarthy detractors
Moderate Republican Rep. Don Bacon (Neb.) said he expects the potential deal being discussed to win over perhaps 10 of the 20 McCarthy opponents.
McCarthy, however, will need to win over more than that to reach the 218 votes he needs.
Bacon said he’s concerned by concessions McCarthy may need to make to more far-right members, but he’s “more excited that we’re going to get it looks like half of the folks over, and that’s a great number.”
Asked if he’s concerned the concessions — particularly on lowering the threshold for a motion to vacate the chair — could put Republicans in a similar spot in a year, Bacon acknowledged it was possible.
“We could be. I don’t like it. If we’re going to show the citizens this is how we govern, they’re going to not like it and they’re going to hold us accountable in two years, and that concerns me. This has been brought up to the 20, and some of them literally do not care,” he said.
— Al Weaver
Committee staff to miss paycheck if House rules not adopted by Jan. 13
As the drawn-out battle over the House Speakership drags on, a recent memo warned that staff on House committees will not be paid if the chamber does not adopt a set of rules by next Friday.
The House can’t adopt a rules package until a Speaker is elected.
“Committees need to be aware that should a House Rules package not be adopted by end of business on January 13 no committee will be able to process payroll since the committee’s authority for the new Congress is not yet confirmed,” the memo said.
Committees will also not be able to process student loan payments for staff that are enrolled in the public service loan forgiveness program if no rules are adopted by the Jan. 13 deadline.
Despite losing 11 Speaker votes so far, allies of Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) appeared optimistic on Thursday night that they were nearing a deal with the group of 20 Republicans opposing his Speakership bid.
Without a Speaker, House business has ground to halt, with new members unable to be sworn in and the incoming chairs for the Intelligence, Armed Services, and Foreign Affairs committees blocked from attending classified national security briefings.
— Julia Shapero
Gaetz still a ‘no’ after reviewing the ’round one’ deal
House votes to adjourn
The House has voted to adjourn until noon on Friday after taking five unsuccessful votes for Speaker.
Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) fell short in each one, bringing the total to 11.
Despite the long day, the vote to adjourn was a narrow 219-213 as Democrats sought to keep the House in session and force further votes on McCarthy.
Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) offered a motion to adjourn the House.
Members are now voting.
Official vote tally for 11th ballot
- McCarthy: 200
- Jeffries: 212
- Donalds: 12
- Hern: 7
- Trump: 1
- Present: 1
McCarthy loses historic 11th vote for Speaker
Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) appears to have failed to claim the Speaker’s gavel on the 11th vote the House has conducted.
His vote total appears unchanged from previous ballots. A preliminary tally shows him getting 200 votes. Twenty Republicans voted for someone else, as on every other ballot today and Wednesday, and one voted “present.”
It remains to be seen whether the House will take a 12th vote tonight or attempt to adjourn.
The 12th ballot will officially make this Speakership battle tied for the fifth-longest in history.
Fox News’s Jeanine Pirro: Speakership fight ‘making the Republicans look ridiculous’
Fox News host Jeanine Pirro said Thursday that the drawn-out election for Speaker is “making the Republicans look ridiculous” as the House heads into an 11th round of voting, with Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) losing out in the first 10 ballots.
“I’m angry about it. You know why? They’re making the Republicans look ridiculous. First of all, I like Kevin McCarthy, OK? Why wasn’t this done ahead of time? Why are we doing this in front of the public? We look like a bunch of fools, OK?” Pirro, co-host of Fox News’s “The Five,” said during the program.
Pirro called out Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), who nominated Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.) during an earlier vote.
“And Lauren Boebert, you know, with all due respect, I mean, the woman barely won her race. You’re holding out until Kevin falls. What is the alternative? What do you want? What is the option? What can people agree on?” said Pirro, a longtime conservative media personality and a noted supporter of former President Trump.
—Julia Mueller
Rutherford slams Gaetz, McCarthy holdouts for drawn-out Speakership battle
Pep. John Rutherford (R-Fla.) slammed three of his fellow Florida Republicans on Thursday for drawing out the battle over the Speaker of the House, as they continued to oppose Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) bid for the leadership position.
Rutherford specifically called out Rep. Matt Gaetz, Rep. Byron Donalds and Rep.-elect Anna Paulina Luna, who are among the 20 far-right Republicans blocking McCarthy’s Speakership.
“Thanks to @RepMattGaetz, @RepDonaldsPress, & @realannapaulina, congressional offices like mine aren’t able to help our constituents with casework requests while we wait to be sworn in,” Rutherford said in a tweet on Thursday afternoon. “The small minority obstructing the speaker election is causing real consequences for Americans.”
—Julia Shapero