Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) said that Acting Speaker Patrick McHenry doesn’t have the authority to do anything except lead the House to a new Speaker election.
McGovern cited the text of the rule:
The rule says he can only exercise as much authority as is “necessary and appropriate” towards the end of electing a Speaker.
The Rules Committee narrowly described this rule in 2004: an acting Speaker pro tempore serves “for the sole purpose of electing a new Speaker.”
— Rep. Jim McGovern October 4, 2023
These rules were put into place after 9/11 to ensure continuity of government & quick election of a new Speaker in an emergency. Not to provide for a short-term Speaker due to Republican dysfunction.
I urge @HouseGOP to elect someone who will be a Speaker of the *whole* House.
— Rep. Jim McGovern October 4, 2023
McHenry’s only function is to get the House to a new Speaker. He is holding a bridge position with no power or authority to do anything.
The acting Speaker’s action to evict Pelosi and Hoyer was against House rules. Anything McHenry authorizes or does in this interim period is invalid.
This is useful point to keep in mind in case House Republicans try to come back into session next week and take any legislative action or advance Biden impeachment.
Since Republicans didn’t bother to change the rules, they can be sued and have anything they do without a permanent speaker tossed out in court.
The entire situation is more lawlessness and chaos from the most dysfunctional House majority in US history.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
