Staff Reports
The next House speaker, whoever that may be, won’t be getting a warm welcome. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, the frontrunner for the position, had initial support from a majority of House Republicans, but things quickly fell apart. The full House vote was delayed, as Scalise struggled to win over supporters of Rep. Jim Jordan, who was endorsed by none other than former President Donald Trump. It was evident by the evening of October 12th that Scalise didn’t have the necessary votes and he withdrew from the race. So now the speaker’s race is wide open again, leaving us all wondering who will eventually claim the prize.
Whoever ends up as the next speaker will have a tough job ahead of them. They will be leading a House that is narrowly divided, with Republicans holding a slim majority. And they will be stepping into the role at a time of both domestic and international crises. The last Republican speaker, Kevin McCarthy, was ousted after just nine months because he failed to make significant federal spending cuts. So the next speaker will have to make sure they don’t make the same mistake. They’ll also have to navigate the stormy international front, with the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the recent barbaric attacks by Hamas in Israel. And with funding for the Israel weapons package needing approval from Congress, there’s already resistance from some isolationist Republicans.
It’s a challenging time to be in a leadership role, that’s for sure. But hopefully, whoever emerges as the next speaker will have the skills and the determination to navigate these difficult waters. And let’s hope they can find a way to bring some stability and unity to our divided government.
