Gingrich on Speakership turmoil: ‘We can’t sit around and suck our thumbs and hope the world will wait’

Former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) said that after speaking with members of the House Tuesday evening, he does not believe Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) will be elected to the Speakership in the next round of voting, which is expected to take place Wednesday.

“My sense from talking to people in the House tonight in the next vote, [Jordan] might actually get fewer — not more — votes,” Gingrich said on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show. “If that happens, we can’t sit around and suck our thumbs and hope the world will wait until the House Republicans get their act together.”

Twenty Republicans voted against Jordan’s bid to become Speaker, and the next round of voting was pushed until Wednesday. The 20-member dissent was a higher number than many anticipated. Before the vote, at least six members said they did not intend to support Jordan.

Gingrich said he would be OK if it took 15 rounds of voting to elect Jordan, as it did with former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), but as it stands, he has “no faith” that any of the nays will budge.

While Congress is still in a stalemate and unable to pass legislation, “the world is moving,” Gingrich said.

Gingrich wrote in a column Tuesday that he favors giving Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) more powers amid the looming government shutdown date and the aid package designed to support Israel in its war against Hamas.

“Every day, we’re closer to the end of the continuing resolution. Every day, we’re close to a huge aid package for Israel that has to be passed. Every day, we are failing to do the investigations we need to be doing” Gingrich said on Fox News.

Gingrich said House Republicans already have seen the two best candidates for McCarthy’s replacement: Jordan and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), who was the nominee but dropped out last week. Jordan already has earned more votes than Scalise but was still unable to reach the 217 votes necessary to clinch the gavel Tuesday.

Given the GOP’s slim majority in the House, unless they can “get in a room and get everybody to agree,” Gingrich said he thinks Jordan’s chances at becoming Speaker look bleak.