President-elect Donald Trump is being urged to intervene as House Republicans face pressure to elect the next speaker quickly, despite a handful of party members threatening the razor-thin majority, leaving House Speaker Mike Johnson’s, R-La., control of the gavel – and potentially the fate of election certification – in the balance.
“This is a horrible challenge. We’ve seen it happen during the last two years. It was really difficult for Kevin McCarthy. It’s been extremely difficult for Mike Johnson. Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., told HeadlinesForever on Sunday that whoever is chosen speaker of our caucus would face significant challenges.
“But at the end of the day, the difference between the 119th Congress and the 118th Congress is we’ll have a Republican president, a strong Republican president who’s very popular with Republican congressmen, constituents back home, and that’s Donald Trump,” he went on:
However, the math remains challenging for Johnson, especially if a handful of his Republican colleagues opt to vote for someone else, preventing him from reaching the critical number of 218.
As HeadlinesAccording to Chad Pergram, a veteran congressional correspondent, the holdup “paralyzes the House,” stopping them from swearing in members, organizing committees, and potentially certifying the results of the 2024 election if the dispute lasts until January 6.
The president pro tempore, the most senior member of the majority party in the Senate, might then take on the position of “acting president” if the House is still debating speakership on January 20, when Trump is scheduled to take office.
According to Pergram, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, is “likely” to take up the role.
Comer acknowledged the potential difficulty and said, “I strongly encourage Donald Trump to call those five or six members who refuse to commit to voting for Mike Johnson because all this would do is delay us.
“It will postpone the certification of President Trump’s election. It will postpone the start of his first 100 days in office, which is the most critical period of his administration. That’s when you get the most done historically, so I highly urge President Trump to get on the phone and try to bring everyone together so we can work as a team to make America great again.”