In the aftermath this week of an effort led by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) resulting in the successful removal of Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as House Speaker, House Democratic Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) urged a group he called “traditional Republicans” to “walk away.”
“This is a solemn moment for the country and for the House of Representatives,” Jeffries said in prepared remarks. “The Constitution gifted us a government of the people, by the people and for the people. House Democrats will continue to put people over politics and work together in a bipartisan way to make life better for everyday Americans. It is our hope that traditional Republicans will walk away from MAGA extremism and join us in partnership for the good of the country.”
His specification for what walking away would entail was left open-ended, though one could imagine a world — even if unlikely — where a small number of Republicans join the lately significantly more unified Democrats to put Jeffries in place as Speaker, since it’s not as though the party with the most seats in the House is Constitutionally obligated to have a member of their own party be Speaker. Jeffries also, though, likely has specific legislation in mind, though essentially anything in that area has gone to the rhetorical back burner as the House deals with the sudden process of selecting a new Speaker. The Republican majority has in this Congress so far passed a lot that hasn’t gone anywhere, besides pushing for even more that they’ve failed to even give the House’s approval.
That latter list includes, for now, a border bill that would jump-start construction of a southern border wall and impose new restrictions around asylum. It would even specifically prioritize detention for migrants put through processing in the U.S. rather than an alternative. As for the Speaker’s race, multiple Republicans have even already floated the long-shot idea of putting Donald Trump in the role — so it’s probably going to be a tumultuous process!
