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US House Of Reps Finally Elects New Speaker After 22 Days In Limbo
Eko Hot Blog reports that United States House of Representatives has finally elected a new Speaker, Rep. Mike Johnson, 22 days after former Speaker Kevin McCarthy was ousted in a Motion-to-Vacate vote.
The new speaker, who represents a district in the state of Louisiana, was elected by all 220 Republicans in attendance on Wednesday evening.
Johnson’s election followed weeks of uncertainty over McCarthy’s replacement.
He was the fourth Republican nominated for the position since the former speaker’s ouster on October 3.
The previous nominee, Minnesota’s Tom Emmer, abruptly dropped out of the race on Tuesday after about four hours.
Johnson’s success in the hard-fought Speaker battle represents a victory for the ideologically right-wing, Trump-aligned faction of the Republican Party and a loss for its moderates, whose candidates struggled to gain traction among conservative representatives on Capitol Hill.
US House of Representatives speaker, Mike Johnson
Addressing the House after the vote, the 51-year-old said that the last-minute negotiations meant that his wife was unable get a flight to Washington in time for his installation as Speaker.
“She’s a little worn out, we all are,” he said.
He mentioned border security, inflation and the conflict in the Middle East as some of his main priorities as Speaker.
“The challenge before us is great, but the time for action is now, and I will not let you down,” Johnson said.
“We know that there’s a lot going on in our country, domestically and abroad, and we are ready to get to work again to solve those problems.”
Johnson promised that the first bill he would introduce would be in support of Israel, one of the few areas of bipartisan agreement.
“We are overdue in getting that done,” he said.
Speaking on the US Capitol steps after he was sworn in, Johnson vowed to set an “aggressive” schedule now that the House is “back in business”.
Still, there are other political storms brewing in both the closely divided House and in the Republican party that could slow down the pace.
The House now faces a deadline of 17 November to come to an agreement to continue funding the US government, or face a shutdown.
McCarthy made the deal to extend the budget deadline for six weeks, and then faced the wrath of angry hardliners in the Republican Party who orchestrated his ouster.
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