Republicans have to quickly ‘make sure we get the job done’ and elect new speaker, Rep. Buck says The Colorado lawmaker predicted the process would …
Two lawmakers from opposite sides of the aisle on Sunday weighed in on the ongoing chaos in the House of Representatives, after a small group of Republicans last week booted Speaker Kevin McCarthy, leaving the chamber leader-less and paralyzing one half of Congress.
Washington is staring down a November deadline to fund the federal government or risk a partial shutdown. Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., said on that Republicans will have to make electing a new speaker a top priority.
“We’ll agree on a candidate by the end of the week, or we’ll agree on a candidate over the weekend. I think we lock the doors, and we have very limited bathroom breaks and food breaks and make sure we get the job done,” Buck said when pressed by “This Week” anchor George Stephanopoulos on the timing for picking McCarthy’s successor.
Pete Aguilar of California, the No. 3 House Democrat, meanwhile panned Republicans over the fiasco, noting Democrats’ support earlier this year for a debt ceiling increase that was negotiated to also lay out spending levels ahead of the funding debate.
“Democrats are the ones leading here. This is a Republican House Conference who has an inability to govern and to lead, but that’s why we’re in this moment. Our constituents didn’t send us here to vacate the chair,” Aguilar said in his own “This Week” appearance, referencing the procedural mechanism used to oust McCarthy. “They sent us to Washington, D.C., to work.”
