Amid Uncertainty in House, a Bipartisan Deal Looks Possible

Meanwhile, Nikki Haley tries to shift blame to President Biden
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 16, 2023 1:00 AM CDT
Tapper Shuts Down Haley's Response to Speaker Question
FILE - The Capitol in Washington, is seen at sunrise, Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023.   (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

As the chaos in the House of Representatives continues, with the latest GOP nominee for speaker, Jim Jordan, nowhere close to the votes he needs and the House-wide vote reportedly set for Tuesday, some were starting to discuss the possibility of a bipartisan deal while others were trying to shift some of the blame to President Biden. The latest:

  • A deal? House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, the Democrat nominee for speaker, said on NBC News on Sunday that some moderate Republicans are considering a bipartisan solution. "There are informal conversations that have been underway. When we get back to Washington tomorrow, it's important to begin to formalize those discussions," he said. "We have made clear, publicly and privately, that we are ready, willing, and able to enter into a bipartisan governing coalition that puts the American people first."

  • Would that mean a Democrat or a Republican as the potential speaker? As Fox News reports, multiple Republicans have predicted that not even their moderate colleagues would agree to vote for a Democrat as speaker. On NBC, Kristen Welker noted to Jeffries that "you'd effectively need about five Democrats to get on board and support a Republican speaker to have a governing coalition," asking if Democrats had identified any Republican colleague they could get behind. Jeffries said no.
  • Why not? "Our focus is not on the individual," he said. "It's on the institution of Congress and the best interests of the American people, which is why what we suggested is that we reevaluate the rules that are currently in place to facilitate bipartisan cooperation and to eliminate division."
  • Another Republican weighs in: One GOP representative who appears to agree with Jeffries on at least one point is Mike Turner, who told CBS News on Sunday that if Republicans can't unite behind a speaker, "obviously" a "deal will have to be done" with Democrats, but he painted Democrats as hypocritical: "Kevin McCarthy was fired because he had sought a bipartisan solution to keep the government open. ... It's gonna be hard for [Democrats] in the future to come—if they want to work in bipartisanship when they fired the guy that was sitting there for doing so."
  • All Biden's fault? Meanwhile, Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley was asked about the chaos amongst House Republicans on CNN Sunday. She led off her answer by addressing "chaos" related to the Biden administration, and was promptly cut off by Jake Tapper, the Hill reports. "You can't blame that on Biden. You can't blame this on Biden," Tapper said. "Well, you have to let me finish," Haley continued before listing several examples of what she considers "chaotic," including inflation, the border, crime, education, and world affairs. "What I'm saying is you can't fix Democrat chaos with Republican chaos. They need to get it together," she said, ultimately conceding that the speaker debacle is "not a good look" for the GOP.
(More speaker of the House stories.)

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