Joe.My.God. LGBT News
The Guardian reports:
Top House Democrat Hakeem Jeffries confirmed Sunday that “informal conversations have been underway” for a bipartisan solution to the leadership crisis in the US House of Representatives.
Jeffries declined to say if he would allow Democrat representatives to vote for a Republican speaker as a way of ushering one into power, given the apparent inability of any Republican to unite their members.
“We have not identified any candidate on the other side of the aisle because our focus is not on the individual. It’s on the institution of Congress,” he said.
The Washington Post reports:
First, some Democrats want to reform the “motion to vacate” rule so that a single member can’t force a snap vote to remove the speaker on a whim, which is exactly how Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) dethroned Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).
One idea Democrats are mulling, according to a House aide, is requiring a majority of the party in control of the House to support the motion to vacate before it can happen.
Second, Democrats are discussing the idea of a mechanism that would give them more leverage over what bills get a floor vote, even on things many Republicans oppose — such as continued Ukraine aid (likely coupled with aid to Israel), and bills funding the government at levels that many in both parties can accept.
Hakeem Jeffries makes it clear to Kristen Welker that it is not the job of Democrats to fix GOP speaker mess, “That is on my house Republican colleagues. We have made clear publicly and privately that we are ready, willing and able to enter into a bipartisan governing coalition.” pic.twitter.com/xuxI3Hrnqv
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) October 15, 2023