In a closed room, no cell phones allowed meeting, Republicans nominated Steve Scalise for House Speaker. The vote was 113-99 in favor of Steve Scalise over Jim Jordan.

Scalise is the current majority leader. Jordan, backed by Donald Trump, is head of the Judiciary Committee.

A vote in the Full House may come later in the day. [Ed. update: As of 3:30pm EDT, the house was in recess and looked unlikely to reconvene today.]

Another Long Fight?

It took 15 ballots for the now ousted Kevin McCarthy to win. If no Democrats opt for Scalise (why would they) we may have another long, damaging fight.

It takes 117 for a majority, Five Republican defections would be sufficient to kill reaching majority.

The WSJ notes a possible fight.

“If Jim Jordan does not get the majority within that room, I will go down to the House floor and continue to vote for Jim Jordan,” said Rep. Max Miller (R., Ohio) shortly before the internal vote.

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R., Fla.), who precipitated the leadership crisis when he brought the motion to vacate to the floor, has said he would support either Scalise or Jordan. On Wednesday, Rep. Eli Crane (R., Ariz.), another of the eight Republicans who voted to oust McCarthy, said that he would support either Jordan or Scalise on the floor no matter who he voted for in conference.

Previously, I noted Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said she would only vote for Trump.

Scalise favors more aid to Ukraine while Gaetz demanded no aid for Ukraine.

House Make Up

There are 221 Republicans (plus 2 non-voting Delegates and the Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico), 212 Democrats (plus 3 non-voting Delegates), and 2 vacant seats.

The voting members are 221-R and 212-D.

With four defections, the vote would be 217-216.

Linking Aid to Israel and Ukraine

NBC reports House Republicans Pour Cold Water on Linking U.S. Aid to Israel and Ukraine

And the prospects of additional Ukraine funding will likely come down to whether a narrow — and currently leaderless — GOP majority can stomach it, presenting an important early decision that will confront the next House speaker, who is yet to be chosen.

Numerous Republicans lawmakers told NBC News that they’re skeptical — if not outright opposed — to connecting the two.

Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Texas, said Congress should first help Israel in the wake of the attack by Hamas, while continuing to debate the merits of continuing to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia’s war.

“We’ve got to do something for Israel today if we can, or tomorrow,” he told reporters Monday evening.

Asked why he separates the need to help the two U.S. allies who are under attack, Burgess said, referring to Ukraine and Israel, respectively: “One’s an argument that’s in process. The other is an acute need, and we need to tend to that first.”

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., an opponent of Ukraine aid, said they mustn’t be linked.

Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., flatly rejected the idea of linking funding for Israel and Ukraine: “No. I would not connect those two at all.”

He said he supports aid to Israel, but not to Ukraine.

At Least Four Defections

• Rep. Max Miller, R- Ohio
• Rep. Brian Mast, R-Florida
• Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia
• Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Texas

With no more than four defections, Scalise wins. He can also win if Democrats come to his aid or simply vote present.

Then What?

A rule is still in place in which any House Republican can call to vacate the Chair. That is what McCarthy agreed with to become Speaker.

Greene immediately comes to mind as someone who could petition to vacate the Chair. She said she is voting to make Trump the Speaker.

The Most Likely Thing

The most likely thing is more money for everything.

“Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said that he’s open to linking aid to Israel and Ukraine in a larger package that tackles various foreign policy goals. “Yeah, I think that’s a possibility — along with China, Taiwan, border security,” said McCaul as reported by NBC.

Here Comes the Big Push for More Money for Ukraine and Israel

On October 9, I commented Here Comes the Big Push for More Money for Ukraine and Israel

Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy lost his job for working out a deal with Democrats. A gang of 8 led by GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz pulled the plug on McCarthy.

One of the gang of eight demands is no more money for Ukraine. Care to take bets?

Expect a Congressional deal: More money for Ukraine; more money for Israel, and more money for a wall. It won’t stop there.

No One Will Fix This

“Compromise is always more spending for this in return for more spending on that.”

“Neither party will fix the deficits. Neither party will do anything about mounting debt. No one will do anything about anything because the political system is totally broken.” Mish

For discussion, please see Debt to GDP Alarm Bells Ring, Neither Party Will Solve This

Recall that McCarthy was ousted because he used Democrat support to get legislation passed.

Scalise will soon be in the same position.

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Here Comes The Big Push For More Money For Ukraine And Israel