US House of Representatives still without president after candidate withdraws

Endless negotiations in the halls of Congress and behind the scenes, but for now in vain: the Republicans made no progress this Thursday in the search for a new president of the House of Representatives.

The candidate for the position Steve Scalise He announced at night the withdrawal of his candidacy, while the institution, paralyzed for more than a week, sank even deeper into crisis.

LOOK HERE: Trump says he would accept being president of the House of Representatives to unify Republicans

“It has been quite a journey and there is still a long way to go. I have just informed my colleagues that I will withdraw my candidacy as president to appoint” Scalise said when it seemed clear he would not reach the 217 votes needed to win office.

Congress has two chambers: the Senate, where the president’s Democrats Joe Biden They have the majority and the House of Representativescontrolled by Republicans and immersed in unprecedented chaos.

Historic dismissal

Its previous president, Kevin McCarthywas impeached on October 3 due to disputes between moderate Republican congressmen and supporters of the former president donald trump.

His departure exposed the huge fractures among American conservatives, with a year to go until the elections. 2024 presidential elections.

And it plunged this chamber, supposedly one of the most powerful in the world, into an impasse.

MORE INFORMATION: Who is Kevin McCarthy, the “moderate” who convinced no one and underestimated the radical Republicans

U.S cannot vote in favor of new aid for Israela historic ally, in the midst of the war with the Palestinian Islamic movement Hamas at the Gaza strip. Not a new batch of funds for Ukrainethat lawmakers have been debating for weeks.

It also cannot vote on a new budget for the federal state, despite the last one expiring in a few weeks, which once again leaves the world’s main economic power in danger of administrative paralysis.

“Back home”

Two candidates were presented to preside over the Chamber: one from the moderate wing of the party and the other close to Trump. The two opposing factions faced off in an informal vote on Wednesday.

Scalise, the winner, had hoped to be able to immediately put his candidacy up for a vote in a full House session, a necessary step, but a dozen conservatives said they would oppose that for a variety of reasons: his budget positions, the fact that he suffers from cancer or a speech given two decades ago about a former head of Ku Klux Klan.

“Steve is a man who has serious problems because of cancer.“, Trump had previously declared in an interview, and assured that he would do better to avoid”the stress” that the position implies.

SEE TOO: McCarthy will not seek to preside over the US House of Representatives again after impeachment

How long will the lockdown last? Hours? Days? Weeks? Nobody knows and confusion reigns at the party.

“Why don’t we all go home and meet again next week?“, suggested the Trumpist congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene Thursday afternoon.

He Democratic Party of Joe Biden is a minority in the Chamber and, therefore, watches the chaotic negotiations as a spectator. But in theory, he could reach an alliance with moderate Republicans to put an end to this situation.

Source: Elcomercio

jack

I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.