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Friend,
The House was just adjourned for the weekend without electing a Speaker. To say I'm disappointed and frustrated is an understatement. I think we should have locked ourselves in a room and worked through the day and night until we came up with a solution so that we could restart work on our legislative priorities. We're losing valuable time, and the only ones who really stand to lose are hardworking people in Iowa and across the country. Below is a brief update on this process and where I stand.
Here's where we are. I voted for Kevin McCarthy, Steve Scalise, and Jim Jordan for Speaker. I voted for Jim Jordan three times on the Floor, including today. Ultimately, he did not have enough support in our Conference, and is no longer our nominee. There is no time to waste. Each day without a Speaker is a day where we aren't passing conservative, single-subject appropriations bills, securing our border, and helping American families.
Here's what's next. Members of our Conference have until Sunday at noon to announce their candidacy for Speaker. On Monday, our Conference will hear from each candidate in a closed-door forum about their vision to lead and unite our Conference. On Tuesday, we will vote to nominate a Speaker candidate and hopefully proceed to a Floor vote soon after.
Here's my take. As you know, I believe Kevin McCarthy's ouster was despicable. Even worse, the chaos agents who ousted him had no plan for how to move forward. Remember: these eight took McCarthy down for advocating for a short-term solution to keep our government open and our military paid, after rejecting the most conservative legislation I've ever seen to cut government spending and secure our border. Think about this. If Kevin McCarthy hadn't kept the government open, our military would be hamstrung (and going without pay) while Israel was under attack. Our border patrol agents wouldn't have the tools to stop the suspected terrorists coming across our Southern Border. The blame for this situation lies not only on these eight chaos agents, but on the 208 Democrats who paralyzed the House and stopped our work. At each stage of the dysfunction, I've advocated for solutions. Once Kevin McCarthy was no longer our Speaker, I supported Steve Scalise for the job. I also backed Jim Jordan three times on the Floor. Both Steve and Jordan are good conservatives, and I'm frustrated that neither will serve as Speaker. I am committed to moving forward as soon as possible, and it is past time for the Conference to stop with petty disagreements and unite behind solutions. Compromise within our Conference will lead to conservative results for the entire country. We need to do right by our Constituents, and that is what I have aimed to do by voting for solutions, keeping you updated, and urging my colleagues to unify. I will be working through the weekend and back in DC first thing on Monday to get this resolved. I'll hear from my colleagues who are interested in leading our Conference and continue asking for your input throughout this process. I'd also like to thank everyone who has taken the time to contact our office over the last few weeks - your input and feedback is valued and has been helpful.
Serving you in Congress is the honor of my life and no matter the circumstances in DC, I will fight for you, bring some Iowa common sense to the crazy situations up here, and never lose sight of what is important.
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