State Department spokesman Ned Price has said the continued absence of a House speaker could have national security implications.
“The first few days of any congressional term usually is spent on procedural elements like this, but of course, if this continues on, there will be additional concerns,” he added. “I’m sure we will hear additional concerns from the Hill as well.”
House lawmakers began voting for a new speaker on Tuesday, but after 11 rounds no one has secured the required 218 votes to clinch the top House job.
Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has failed to win over a group of conservatives to get the needed votes, while Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) has received the votes of all the House’s 212 Democrats on every vote.
Price noted that Congress has indispensable functions, namely oversight, appropriations, and authorization.
“We want to hear their voice in our foreign policy. We want to ensure that our foreign policy has bipartisan support wherever we can,” Price added. “We want to ensure that in the formulation of our policy we’re taking into account the prerogatives and the perspectives of members of both chambers of commerce.”
But now, he added, it has become “much more difficult to do that when there is not a seated House of Representatives.”
Price added he didn’t expect the voting process to drag on for too long.
“The process is playing out, and I expect—we can all expect—at some point before too long the process will conclude,” he said.
Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.) concurred with Price’s concerns on Thursday.
“Republicans must end the chaos!” Crow added.
McCarthy
Price’s concerns about the stalemate having an impact on U.S. national security are also shared by some House Republicans.“The Biden administration is going unchecked and there is no oversight of the White House, State Department, Department of Defense, or the intelligence community,” the three lawmakers wrote. “We cannot let personal politics place the safety and security of the United States at risk.”
The trio added that they supported McCarthy’s agenda, which “outlines a stronger approach to countering China, a plan to investigate the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan, and how a Republican majority will hold this administration accountable.”
He added, “Our Select Committee on China will do what Biden refuses—finally reckon with the pariah that is the CCP.”
China
Rep. Carol Miller (R-W.Va.) and Rep. Scott Franklin (R-Fla.), both having voted for McCarthy, pointed to China as a reason that the hold-up should be resolved quickly.She added: “This chaos is forcing our allies into China’s hands. While some view this delay as a sign of strength, our adversaries are preying on our division.”
“Standing up the Select Committee on China to halt the CCP’s malign influence,” Franklin wrote.
Other items on his list include: “Investigating the Biden administration’s MANY failures and scandals,” “Putting a stop to the administration’s plan to hire 87,000 IRS agents,” and “Addressing our border crisis and ending the flow of fentanyl and crime into our communities.”
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