SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – The House of Representatives has been operating without a House speaker for 20 days now.
The House can’t conduct any legislative work without a House speaker. Kevin McCarthy was removed as speaker on October 3rd and now issues are rising as House Republicans fail to elect a new speaker after nearly three weeks.
Political Consultant Tony Cignoli says this means there is no work, no business or legislation getting done right now which affects the entire nation, “For us here in Massachusetts, which is especially frightening right now, is no House speaker with a looming government shutdown in a about three weeks. Catastrophic in a lot of ways, that means all sort of things from social security to the IRS… those kind of issues that people might be dealing with, there won’t be folks working to take care of those issues for them.”
According to the Hill, the House will hold a candidate forum Monday night, seeking a lawmaker that they think could win the necessary 217 votes on the House floor to be the new elected Speaker. There are currently nine candidates and the next floor vote is expected to take place Tuesday.
Kiara Smith is a reporter who has been a part of the 22News team since March 2023. Follow Kiara on X @KiaraBSmith1 and view her bio to see more of her work.
