Next House speaker vote scheduled for 10 a.m. tomorrow as bid to empower McHenry fails

There could still be another speaker vote, but no decision has been made, according to McHenry.

If there are no more votes, McHenry will still need to go to the floor to adjourn the House for the day.

Upon leaving the Capitol, McCarthy told reporters, “With the president speaking, we should be listening to the president.”

Biden is set to give a prime-time speech from the Oval Office about Israel and Ukraine.

In a closed-door meeting tonight, McHenry told GOP colleagues he might resign as speaker pro tempore if Republicans push him to try to move legislation on the floor without an explicit vote to expand his powers, according to multiple lawmakers in the room.

“If you guys try to do that, you’ll figure out who the next person on Kevin’s list is,” McHenry told the room, three sources said, referring to former Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s secret list of GOP lawmakers who would serve as temporary speaker in the event of a vacancy.

McHenry’s comments underscore the quandary Republicans are in: They can’t really do anything until they choose a new speaker, but they can’t agree on someone who can get the votes to be that new speaker.

And McHenry is unwilling to set a precedent that would give future temporary speakers the full power of speakers who are elected on the House floor. It could mean that the House wouldn’t need to elect speakers in the future.

Read the full story here.

Jordan's meeting with the 22 GOP members who voted against him yesterday has broken up nearly an hour-and-a-half after it started.

It appears little to no progress was made.

Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., told reporters upon exiting that he is not changing his mind on opposing Jordan as speaker.

Others who attended the meeting included Florida Reps. John Rutherford, Vern Buchanan and Mario Diaz-Balart, as well as Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho and Rep. Steve Womack of Arkansas.

Jordan did not speak with reporters after leaving the meeting.

Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., says his votes against Jordan for speaker have resulted in death threats.

"So far I’ve had four death threats. I’ve been evicted from my office in Colorado -- I have notice of an eviction -- because the landlord is mad with my voting record on the speaker issue," he said.

Buck went on to say that he will not change his vote against Jordan in future ballots, adding that "at some point, we need to move on and find the 217 votes for a plan."

Buck said he would vote in favor of a resolution to empower McHenry as speaker pro tempore so that the conference could then focus on getting 217 votes together for one candidate.

"It can’t happen as a bipartisan effort. We have to have 217 votes... I think it would be politically unwise to try to go back to a base and say, 'Give us the votes, give us the money, give us the resources to win elections,' after we had to use the Democrats to make the House floor functional," he said.

Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., said he doesn't know "where we go from here."

Jordan is currently meeting with the 22 GOP holdouts still against him, two sources familiar with the meeting told NBC News. The meeting began at 4 p.m.

Rep. Dave Joyce, R-Ohio, said he was not surprised at the pushback from fellow Republicans on his proposal to elect Patrick McHenry as speaker pro tempore.

“You must not cover our conference,” he said to reporters when asked for his reaction. “These people couldn’t agree on the time of day.”

Joyce said he can’t introduce his resolution while the House is in recess (as it currently is) but that he can do it the next time the floor reopens. Joyce cited the looming government shutdown and the need to “keep this country moving” as why he wants to elect a speaker pro tempore.

“That’s why it’s a deep concern of mine, I know it’s a concern of many of the people in the room,” he said. “And there’s other folks who just want to see it dead. So they come out and tell you all it’s dead. It’s a live motion that can be filed, or a petition that can be filed at any time.”

"The whole country would scream at Matt Gaetz right now," McCarthy said

The plan to give McHenry more power seems to have died.

Jordan said this afternoon that he plans to call for a third vote on the floor today to see if he can finally reach the 217 votes needed to be elected speaker.

As he passed reporters asking whether members would go to the floor for a third vote today, Jordan said, "That's the plan."

Jordan told reporters this afternoon that GOP members decided a resolution to empower McHenry "wasn't where we're going to go."

"We made the pitch to members on the resolution as a way to lower the temperature and get back to work. We decided that wasn’t where we’re going to go," Jordan said

Jordan said he is still running for speaker and plans "to go to the floor and get the votes and win this race."

"I want to go talk to my colleagues, particularly want to talk with the 20 individuals who voted against me, so that we can move forward and begin to work," Jordan added.

Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, said this afternoon that "two-thirds" of the Republican House members oppose empowering McHenry and have mentioned "four or five" names besides Jordan's.

"I oppose the resolution for a very simple reason. We were elected by three quarters of a million people, each and every one of us to lead, not kick the can down the road," Fallon said.

Fallon said members were in an "ugly process" but they need to "muddle through it." He added that the division of the Republican Party in the House has enabled Democratic sway in the process.

"So now because of this ugly process, what has this party done? It has enabled the Democrats to determine the way forward, in part, because if all 212 Democrats vote for this resolution, it will pass. If all of them oppose it, it will fail," Fallon said.

Fallon said he's heard "four or five" names mentioned as possible speaker nominees. Fallon said he supports Jordan, but could see the need for a new nominee if Jordan continues to fail to reach 217 votes.

"At some point if Jim get the votes, he'll be a great speaker, we all know that. If not, if we reach that point, then it becomes a definition of insanity where you’re continually doing the same thing expecting a different result. But we’re not at that point yet, but we can get there," Fallon said.

Leaving the Republican meeting, Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla., said the resolution to empower McHenry appears dead.

"I feel like people are starting to get clarity of how much of a mess has been made through this motion to vacate and it has taken us further away from the work that we were hired to do," she said.

Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., said this afternoon that GOP members will need to have further discussions to move forward in selecting a speaker.

While speaking to reporters, Cole paused very briefly and said the conference is having an “extended discussion” about what to do. 

Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., predicts that Republicans will not bring a resolution to empower McHenry as an interim speaker up for a vote on the House floor.

"I don't think that it's likely to come up because that opens up a different can of worms," Mast told reporters.

"It doesn't have the support of the majority, but not because of a specific rule. I don't think McHenry wants it," Mast said. "And just by him not wanting an authority, that will make people say no, and then there are a lot of other people, whether he would want it or not, would have a problem with it."

Gaetz, R-Fla., said that McCarthy's "passions are a little inflamed and he's working through the stages of grief."

That's what he told reporters when asked about a report that McCarthy yelled at him during the House GOP Conference meeting.

Asked if Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill., lunged at him during the meeting, Gaetz said that Bost was "pretty animated," but said, "I don't know if I would describe it as a lunge."

Gaetz said this interaction happened when he was talking at the microphone, arguing that "speaker-lite" is "a bad idea."

A Republican congresswoman who initially supported Rep. Jim Jordan for House speaker before she backed another GOP lawmaker said she received death threats and threatening phone calls after she cast her vote Wednesday.

Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, revealed the death threats in a statement just hours after Jordan failed to secure enough votes in the second round of balloting for House speaker.

“Since my vote ... I have received credible death threats and a barrage of threatening calls. The proper authorities have been notified and my office is cooperating fully,” Miller-Meeks said in a statement that was also posted on X.

“One thing I cannot stomach, or support is a bully,” she added. “Someone who threatens another with bodily harm or tries to suppress differing opinions undermines opportunity for unity and regard for freedom of speech.”

Read the full story here.

McHenry is brushing off the idea of a resolution that would grant him broader powers as an interim House speaker.

Asked today whether he backed the resolution to grant him broader powers, McHenry said he was still working to elect Jordan as speaker.

McHenry also said he was not having any discussions about that possibility with Jeffries.

“I am focused on electing Jim Jordan, who is our speaker nominee, as speaker of the House,” McHenry told reporters. “That’s my goal. That’s my focus."

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., said he will do everything possible to stop empowering McHenry as a temporary speaker, calling it a "constitutional desecration" not to elect a permanent speaker.

He compared the prospect to his distaste for light beer.

"I am against a speaker-lite. I am against Bud Light," Gaetz said. "Twisting and torturing the Constitution to empower a temporary speaker is having a speaker-lite that is not constitutionally contemplated."

He added that the House needs to stay until they elect a speaker and "if someone can't get the votes, we need to go on to the next person."

Gaetz has been outspoken throughout the speaker process, spearheading the successful push to oust McCarthy as speaker.

A senior Democratic source told NBC News that Democrats have been “chatting” with Republicans about the McHenry empowerment plan and that there is respect for a resolution authored by moderate Rep. Dave Joyce, R-Ohio, to expand his powers.

Three Democratic lawmakers told NBC News that Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York has told the caucus he wants to check with Republicans one more time on the terms of what they’re discussing, but that they would only support someone who voted to certify the 2020 election (as McHenry did), and that they agree to support the original debt limit deal struck between the White House and McCarthy.

McHenry is huddling on the House floor with staff and Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., who has supported Jordan for speaker.

The White House is seeking to draw a contrast between Biden's leadership, especially amid the Israel-Hamas war, and Republicans on Capitol Hill causing chaos.

"President Biden is leading and standing up for our national security interests on the world stage, fighting to reduce costs like energy and junk fees — both of which he took recent action on — and bringing the nation together to support Israel in the wake of the worst terrorist attack in its history," said Andrew Bates, deputy press secretary and senior communications adviser.

Bates said Republicans continue "their downward spiral into chaos and away from governing."

"They need to get their act together and join this president at the adults table," he said.

And like that, the House has already come in and gaveled out into recess.

Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., expressed frustration over Jordan’s support for a plan to temporarily empower McHenry until January.

“It’s the biggest F-U to Republican voters I’ve ever seen,” Banks said as he left a GOP conference meeting.

“We need to elect a speaker. We were sent here to elect a speaker. It’s a cop out. ... It’s a big mistake, and over half the Republicans in that room are against it.”

The House is expected to come into session at shortly after noon and then quickly recess.

Right now, House Democrats are discussing behind closed doors the possibility of backing a resolution to temporarily empower Speaker Pro Tempore McHenry. 

Three Democratic lawmakers told NBC news that Minority Leader Jeffries has told the caucus he wants to check with the GOP one more time on the potential terms. The red lines on anyone they empower are that he or she voted to certify the election — which McHenry did — and agrees to support the original debt limit deal struck between the White House and Kevin McCarthy. McHenry was one of McCarthy's top negotiators on that deal.

In a surprise move, Jordan will back a plan to temporarily empower interim speaker Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., until January, according to three sources.

Jordan, who lost two rounds of votes, will continue to run for speaker and try to shore up votes in the meantime, according to the three sources.

It is unclear, according to one source directly familiar, if Jordan will try for a third ballot on the speakership on Thursday. That is up in the air and will depend on how the morning’s conference meeting goes.

Read the full story here.

Legislative activity has ground to a halt in the House without an elected speaker.

Jordan told reporters a few minutes ago that House Republicans will huddle behind closed doors at 11 a.m. to discuss the speaker race and then head to the floor for another vote.

"We're going to talk with our, visit with our colleagues at 11. Then there will be a vote later," he said.

On two roll-call votes Tuesday and Wednesday, Jordan failed to secure the 217 votes needed to be elected speaker.

Asked if he backed the plan to empower Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McMenry for a short period, Jordan replied: "I'm looking to bring the conference together. We're going to talk about all kinds of options."

Rep. Jack Bergman, R-Mich., is ready to run for speaker if Jordan can’t get there, Bergman's spokesperson said.

“General Bergman proudly supported Rep. Jim Jordan fully," the spokesperson, James Hogge, said in a statement about his boss, a former Marine Corps lieutenant general. "Following the second round of voting, the General was approached by colleagues and has had conversations about a possible Speaker run — it’s becoming clear Rep. Jordan’s path is narrowing by the hour.

"We cannot go another day without a Speaker," Hogge continued. "He simply doesn’t have the votes — we need to have a frank discussion as a conference about a path forward. If as a conference we see he can’t get the necessary votes to become Speaker, General Bergman is prepared to step up.

“The General isn’t seeking to climb the ladder, only steady it in a time of chaos — and would only seek to be Speaker for the remainder of the 118th Congress."

Jordan failed to secure enough votes to become the next House speaker in a second vote on his candidacy Wednesday. NBC News’ Ryan Nobles reports on the strategy lawmakers could consider to vote on a speaker.

An aggressive campaign by Jordan's supporters is sparking backlash from Republican holdouts, making it harder for him to become the next House speaker.

Several GOP lawmakers, as well as one member’s spouse, have reported a barrage of calls and messages pushing them to back Jordan, R-Ohio, in his struggling candidacy. One even said she has received death threats.

Read the full story here.

Jordan fell short yesterday of the 217 votes needed to be elected speaker, the second such failure in two days and a serious blow to the Donald Trump-backed candidate’s chances of seizing the prized gavel.

Jordan, the GOP’s latest nominee for speaker, received 199 votes; that was one net vote fewer than he received on Tuesday and a sign that Jordan is bleeding support rather than winning over his detractors. Compared to the first ballot, he lost four votes, flipped two in his favor and added one who was initially absent.

The backward movement indicates that Jordan’s hopes of securing the job are in peril, prolonging an unprecedented stretch of chaos for the Republican-controlled House, which has no clear path to electing a new leader.

Read the full story here.