CHAOS CAUCUS

McHenry Reportedly Threatens to Quit Temporary Speakership Amid House Chaos

Rep. Jim Jordan again failed to muster the support needed to take the speaker’s gavel on Thursday, leaving McHenry still at the helm.

Amid talk of empowering House Speaker pro tempore Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) in order to return any sense of functionality to the chamber, the man himself threatened to quit should his colleagues push him to move legislation without officially electing him to the role, NBC News reported. “If you guys try to do that, you’ll figure out who the next person on Kevin’s list is,” three people present for the comments told NBC News. His comments highlight the bind Republicans find themselves in: elect a speaker or continue an incredibly unpopular legislative freeze in the interim. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) again failed to muster the support needed to take the speaker’s gavel on Thursday, with a third vote expected on Friday.