Is This The Worst Possible Time to Be Without a Speaker?
Rebecca Downs
Update: Fox News' Chad Pergram posted on Sunday morning that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) has been briefed "on the Mideast crisis" and is working to get a briefing for all members. There was no mention as to if Acting Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry (R-NC) received such an update.
Fox confirms that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) was briefed on the Mideast crisis and is working to get a briefing for all House members in the absence of a Speaker
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) October 8, 2023
It's been less than a week since Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was ousted as Speaker of the House. The House removed a speaker for the first time in its history. It looks to come at a particularly difficult time, not only since a government shutdown could still happen weeks from now despite being averted before the September 30 deadline, but because there's an international crisis going on after Hamas attacked Israel.
Fox News' Chad Pergram, who has been posting helpful threads about the speaker situation, laid out an interesting series of points on Saturday on what it means to have no speaker at this time. Currently, Patrick McHenry (R-NC) is the acting speaker pro tempore, though as of late Saturday night it's still not clear as to if he'll be part of the Gang of 8 hearings. It's worth emphasizing that as a CNN report from Saturday noted, he "has the needed clearance."
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https://townhall.com/tipsheet/rebeccadowns/2023/10/08/issue-of-no-speaker-n2629505
