McCarthy said late Thursday “some progress” had been made in the Speaker vote stalemete after an agreement was presented to the 20 House GOP holdouts that included more concessions to reduce the House Speaker’s power.
After the House adjourned on Thursday, McCarthy added, however, that despite the progress in negotiations, there was no timeline on when he could get to the necessary 218 votes to reach a majority. “If this takes a little longer, that’s OK,” he said.
The concessions placed on the table to members of the far-right Freedom Caucus and others who have consistently voted against McCarthy through 11 ballots for Speaker so far included allowing just one Representative to make a motion to “vacate the chair”—essentially, calling for a “no confidence” vote against the Speaker to have him or her ousted. Currently, a motion to vacate requires a majority vote from members of the Speaker’s party.
Other provisions include a deal to expand the number of seats on the powerful House Rules Committee, which determines how a bill comes to the House floor.
McCarthy also relented on allowing floor votes to institute term limits on members and to enact specific border policy legislation.
Freedom Caucus Chair Scott Perry (R-PA) appeared receptive to the proposed package, tweeting out President Reagan’s dictum, “Trust but verify.”
“The devil is in the details, and we’ll take our time to ensure it’s right, not easy,” Perry added. “One way or another, the status quo must go.”
McCarthy, meanwhile, risks angering moderate Republicans, who are reportedly growing increasingly frustrated over the concessions to the 20 far-right holdouts. Many moderates believe the concessions being offered could make it harder for the new GOP majority to effectively govern, though they will likely hold their noses and accept them.
The House was set to enter a fourth day of voting exactly two years after the deadly January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol when a mob of then-President Trump’s supporters tried to stop Congress from certifying his 2020 election defeat.
