In a pivotal move on Wednesday, House Republicans nominated U.S. Representative Steve Scalise (R-LA), the present second-in-command in the GOP leadership hierarchy, to assume the role of the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
The decision comes on the heels of Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) recent removal from the position.
Although Scalise has been nominated, he still faces the task of securing approval from the entire House before officially taking on the speaker’s mantle.
The Republicans currently hold a slim majority in the chamber, with 221 seats against the Democrats’ 212, according to a Reuters report.
In a discreet voting session, Scalise, 58, was chosen over Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), the Chair of the House Judiciary Committee.
His nomination garnered significant backing from several seasoned and influential members of the Republican Party.
However, the political landscape remains uncertain, particularly regarding whether Rep. Jordan’s supporters will rally behind Scalise during the upcoming vote in the House.
In a past instance, McCarthy had to navigate through 15 voting sessions before finally securing the speakership in January, Reuters notes.
Interestingly, the Republicans dismissed a proposal that suggested the nominee should obtain 217 votes out of the 221-member caucus.
The purpose behind this proposal was to guarantee that the nominee would emerge victorious in the House, especially if all 212 Democrats, as anticipated, united in opposition.
Addressing the urgency of the situation, Scalise emphasized, “It’s really, really important that this Congress get back to work.”
On Tuesday, Scalise took to X, formerly Twitter, to voice his support for Israel, after the country was hit with a surprise attack from the militant group Hamas.
“Hamas is beheading babies, kidnapping and raping women, and brutally murdering civilians,” he said. “It’s pure evil.”
“Attempts by some on the Left to justify what’s happening are disgusting. America must stand strongly with Israel and make sure they have what’s needed to win this war.”
