Republican opposition to Scalise is hardening
Opposition to Republican Steve Scalise as the new speaker of the US House of Representatives is intensifying within his own party, The Hill reports. Scalise needs at least 217 votes to be elected, and now enough Republicans have said they oppose him that he risks losing today's vote.
The concern now is that the public battle could become a drawn-out story. It took 15 votes before Representative Kevin McCarthy was elected.
The House of Representatives has been in limbo since McCarthy was forced out in early October. Since then, the basically leaderless chamber has not been able to approve any bills or the White House's request for emergency aid to Israel - the US's main ally in the Middle East - in the war against Hamas, which is labeled as a terrorist, writes TT.
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Scalise can become the new speaker - but several obstacles remain
Steve Scalise, Republican politician from Louisiana, has been nominated to become the new Speaker of the US House of Representatives, US media reports. In a secret ballot, Scalise received 113 votes to challenger Jim Jordan's 99 votes.
But Scalise still has several hurdles to overcome before he can grab the Speaker's baton. Because despite the fact that the Republicans are in the majority in the House of Representatives, the internal battles within the party may mean that Scalise does not manage to get enough votes when he is pitted against the Democratic candidate Hakeem Jeffries.
One of those expected to vote no to Scalise is Republican Thomas Massie. He tells the BBC he believes there are another 20 Republicans who are skeptical of Scalise.
If Steve Scalise is to pass the vote, he can only afford to lose five Republican votes.
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