Kevin McCarthy rushes to get a deal as House enters the third “Groundhog Day” without a speaker

News outlets will turn their attention to the unfolding drama on Capitol Hill as Kevin McCarthy and his allies try to sway 20 entrenched opponents.

The US House of Representatives is expected to convene at 12:00 PM ET / 9:00 AM PT, but it is unclear whether members, none of whom have been sworn into the new Congress, will move to a seventh vote for Speaker. or whether McCarthy’s side will move until one will be postponed, leaving even more time for negotiations.

What viewers saw on television Wednesday night was one of the most visible holdouts, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), who appeared on Fox News Hannie and MSNBC’s The 11th hour, as host Stephanie Ruhle pressed her with claims that opposition to McCarthy was growing, though no votes changed in Wednesday’s three calls. In fact, it was so repetitive that Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL) said on McCarthy’s nomination, “It’s groundhog day again.”

But Boebert told Ruhle, “As some of my colleagues said, we can stay here until the cherry blossoms bloom.”

She also faced a controversial interview with Sean Hannity, who pressured her: “Who do you want to support just to be a speaker?” It’s not that hard. Boebert replied: “I am willing to have discussions with the Republican Conference to find a consensus candidate.” Hannity pointed out several times that her team only had 20 votes and McCarthy had 203.

But Boebert, who along with Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), walked out of a meeting with McCarthy Wednesday night and insisted nothing had changed. The calculus can be stubborn where other holdouts are not. Punchbowl News and other media outlets have reported that talks have been held with Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), who was a key leader in the anti-McCarthy group, and that McCarthy agreed to some concessions. Among them is a rule change that would lower the threshold for forcing a vote to remove the speaker, according to The Washington Post. Instead of five members supporting such a resolution to prosecute that person, it would only be one. Essentially, if elected, McCarthy would speak under the constant threat of being expelled at any moment.

To make matters worse, the 20 dissenters do not necessarily speak with one voice. Time and again, some of the holdouts on the Hill have told reporters that this is not a personal crusade against McCarthy, although figures like Boebert have also turned around and made it clear that she will not vote for him.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who surprisingly tried to be a voice of reason against the abstentions as McCarthy’s deputy, told reporters Wednesday, “That’s the problem with the ‘never’ movement,” she said. said. “Just like there was ‘never Trump’ stopping people from cooperating, and now we’re seeing that here with ‘never Kevin,’ and Matt Gaetz has been very open about that.”

Meanwhile, a group of pro-McCarthy veterans held a press conference where they discussed the implications of a deadlock in Congress. This includes the inability of members to receive national security briefings as the committees have yet to be activated by new house leadership.

Some Democrats, meanwhile, were slightly upset that two of their members, Rep. Tony Cardenas (D-CA) and Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), failed to vote on a motion for an adjournment Wednesday night. Republicans narrowly won that vote, 216 to 214, after some tense moments in which both sides struggled to get members to the secretary’s podium before the voting deadline. The delay gave McCarthy more room to negotiate. Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA) complained on Twitter that McCarthy won the vote because two Democrats “inexplicably failed to show up to vote,” noting that even Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) was there even though he was gone. cancer treatments.

“Frustrating to say the least,” Huffman wrote.

In general, Democrats watched the long slog of three primary recall votes with some amusement. Some said they used the time to meet new members and discuss legislative priorities, said MP Jim McGovern (D-MA).

“The problem is theirs, so they have to solve it,” he said.

He added: “McCarthy gave everything, including his dignity, so I don’t know what else I can give.”