Republicans in the US House of Representatives on Friday weighed a deal to end their four-day-old leadership battle, but there was little sign of an escape from congressional dysfunction not seen since 1859 before the US Civil War.
Republican leader Kevin McCarthy offered new concessions to a group of about 20 Right-wing hardliners, aiming to break a logjam that has paralysed the chamber since Tuesday while weakening the power of the leadership post he is seeking. But lawmakers said that would not likely be enough to win the majority vote that so far eluded him in 11 failed votes to become House speaker.
“We still have a ways to go,” Republican Representative Ralph Norman, a McCarthy opponent, told reporters late on Thursday.
Republicans’ weaker-than-expected performance in November elections left them with a narrow 222-212 majority and gives outsized power to 20 Right-wing hardliners who oppose McCarthy’s leadership.
They have railed against McCarthy, who has led the Republicans in the House since 2019, accusing him of being soft and too open to compromise with President Joe Biden and his Democrats, who also control the US Senate.
McCarthy already has agreed to limit his clout and make him vulnerable to new leadership challenges. Some of the hardliners say they want a leader who will be ready to force government shutdowns to cut spending.
That raises the possibility the two parties would fail to reach a deal when the federal government comes up against its $31.4 trillion debt limit this year.
A lack of agreement or even a long standoff risks a default that would shake the global economy.
The larger body of mainline Republicans who support McCarthy feared the hardliners’ stunts — such as nominating little-known members and even Republican Donald Trump for the role — portrays them as unable to govern.
Leaderless
The House remained leaderless and unable to begin its business on Friday, the two-year anniversary of a January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol when a violent mob stormed Congress.
Multiple House Democrats saw a connection. “Two years ago, a violent mob — fuelled by hate and a tyrannical President — stormed the Capitol and attacked our democracy,” said No. 2 House Democrat Katherine Clark on Friday.
