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America First Republicans on Capitol Hill are holding the line in the ongoing negotiations for a new Speaker of the House. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., stated on Friday that he would be willing to accept suspension or censure from the House in exchange for getting Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, the votes necessary to win the speakership.
According to a report from CNBC, Rep. Jordan lost a third Speaker ballot on Friday, with 25 Republicans voting against him. However, he stated to the press that the plan for this weekend was to “get a Speaker elected to the House as soon as possible so we can help the American people.”
The internal strife in Congress comes just a couple of weeks after Rep. Gaetz filed a motion to vacate Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., from the position in early October – the first time in American history that such an action has occurred.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., updated Americans on X on Friday, sharing that eight Republicans in Congress are willing to be censured or face removal from the Conference to get House members to “vote with the team.”
In a letter that Luna shared online, the eight congressmen in question were:
- Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz.,
- Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo.,
- Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn.,
- Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz.,
- Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla.,
- Rep. Bob Good, R-Va.,
- Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C.,
- And Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mo.
The letter was signed by each representative and explained:
“It has been suggested that the Conference cannot move forward until there are consequences for each of us. While we violated no rule of either the House of Republican Conference, we understand some in the Conference wish to punish us…Therefore, if the holdouts who refuse to vote for Speaker-Designate Jordan would be willing to ‘vote with the team’ and elect him the 56th House Speaker, we are prepared to accept censure, suspension, or removal from the Conference to accomplish this objective.”
Rep. McCarthy has additionally lent his support to Jim Jordan in his bid to become the next House Speaker.
