Without a speaker, what is the House of Representatives? - The Washington Post

Existential uncertainty wafted done the hallways of the House connected Wednesday. Members-elect and their staffers kept asking 1 another, “Do you cognize anything?” This was the archetypal clip successful 100 years that the predetermination of a talker of the House went beyond a archetypal ballot.

Greg Pence, the member of the erstwhile vice president, walked into the House enclosure earlier the commencement of a 2nd time of voting for speaker, passing a motion that says “Members Only.” Though reelected successful November and wearing an authoritative legislature pin, Pence was not technically a subordinate of Congress, due to the fact that helium had not been sworn successful again.

“I’m a member-elect,” Pence (R-Ind.) explained.

But if determination are nary existent members, who is successful complaint connected this broadside of the Capitol?

Pence pointed to the ceiling and said, “God.” (God could not beryllium reached for comment.)

We are successful purgatory. A historical crippled of chickenhearted was unfolding connected the House level Wednesday. It was a blend of bottleneck and bid wreck. After astatine slightest six rounds of painstaking dependable votes that resulted successful stalemates, the 434 members-elect could not determine connected a talker of the House — which means they cannot beryllium sworn in, which means they cannot found rules, signifier committees, authorize oregon due national spending, oversee the dysfunction of government, oregon different service the Americans who sent them to Washington to get something, anything, accomplished.

Just earlier the league commenced, Rep.-elect Troy E. Nehls (R-Tex.), a Freedom Caucus feline who is nevertheless voting for Rep.-elect Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), was smoking a nubby Ashton cigar outdoors. He had 2 much successful his overgarment pocket, either to observe oregon to walk the time.

“They’re mild-to-moderate,” Nehls said astir the cigars, “which is good, due to the fact that they won’t marque you s--- your pants.” That is an important feature, present successful purgatory, wherever members-elect person been changing the diapers of their visiting infants successful the cloak rooms.

“This babe was calved connected the archetypal circular of votes,” tweeted Rep.-elect Tony Cárdenas (D-Calif.) connected Tuesday, portion holding the kid of workfellow Jimmy Gomez. “He’s present 4 months old.”

Point of order: The 118th Congress has so begun, according to law procedure, and the House is successful the process of organizing itself. But the House technically has nary members and cannot proceed with the concern of the American people. The hold successful the House is not without immoderate precedent. The House of the Representatives of the precise archetypal Congress, begun successful 1789, did not execute a quorum until astir a month after the authorities opened, due to the fact that of atrocious question conditions, among different factors.

“This is simply a precise mortifying situation,” Fisher Ames of Massachusetts said then, astatine Federal Hall successful New York City, portion waiting for his slowpoke colleagues. “We suffer credit, spirit, each thing. The nationalist volition hide the authorities earlier it is born.”

Cut to 234 years later: This is “the abyss,” said Rep.-elect Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), waving his arms successful the air. The House had a quorum, but it inactive had nary speaker, and the talker is the fig who swears successful members-elect, according to the Congressional Research Service.

Democrats had mislaid the House successful November’s midterm elections, but they were having a batch much amusive connected their broadside of the aisle, watching arsenic McCarthy suffered decision aft humiliating defeat.

“Much of what happens successful Congress is funny,” Bowman continued. “But erstwhile you recognize the implications of the B.S. we enactment the American radical through, it’s scary.”

This purgatory has near a spread successful the statesmanlike enactment of succession: The talker is 2nd successful line, aft the vice president. The House, incapable to signifier itself, can’t enactment successful the sharing of nationalist information quality with the White House.

“I deliberation much radical request to beryllium alert of the organization harm that’s going connected here,” said a House procedural adept who spoke connected the information of anonymity to debar personally influencing the proceedings. “If 1 of those branches is truthful hamstringed, truthful paralyzed, arsenic it is close now, bash you truly person the 3 adjacent branches of authorities that our Constitution has acceptable out?”

Confusion reigned. Missouri Republican Billy Long, who conscionable retired from Congress, spent Wednesday wondering whether helium was really inactive a member.

“Who’s successful charge?” Long said by telephone. When helium was archetypal elected astir 12 years ago, “we were told successful nary uncertain terms: ‘Don’t adjacent deliberation astir trying to enactment arsenic a congressman until you’re sworn in.’ Kevin McCarthy is not a congressman. Steve Scalise is not a congressman. Who’s getting paid? Are these radical getting paid zero dollars a day? Am I inactive getting paid $400 a day?”

Long had heard that helium was inactive governed by House morals guidelines until the caller Congress was sworn in. Did that mean helium couldn’t merchantability stocks privately, oregon fto idiosyncratic bargain him dinner?

“Let’s accidental a person of 30 years has a condo successful Aspen, Colorado, and they’ve told maine for 12 years, ‘Anytime you privation to usage our condo, spell ahead,’” said Long, speaking from what helium called a “secure, undisclosed location” that was neither Missouri nor D.C. “Let’s accidental I checked into their condo for free. I thought I could bash it, and present I’m told, ‘Wait a minute, you can’t instrumentality immoderate escaped stuff.’ There are rumors astir congressmen who had large jobs lined up the time they were retired of Congress, which should’ve been 12 o’clock yesterday. Did they motion deals for 7 figures yesterday to go lobbyists, oregon did they not?”

“All I cognize is I checked with the Congressional Research Service to spot if we volition inactive beryllium getting paid,” said Abbas Alawieh, main of unit to Rep.-elect Cori Bush (D-Mo.), sitting connected a seat extracurricular the enclosure successful the archetypal hr of Wednesday’s session. “They haven’t gotten backmost to maine yet.”

Nearby, Rep.-elect Ken Buck (R-Colo.) explained that helium believed the House existed, but successful a authorities of “disarray.” The proof: People had been elected, and had pins, and could spell connected the level to ballot for the speaker. So what needs to hap to get a speaker?

Buck suggested that Republicans adjourn and spell downstairs to conscionable successful private. “I don’t cognize if intoxicant volition help,” Buck said, “or if we request to bring successful a sheet of Colorado brownies.”

By 3:30 p.m., the members-elect had finished a 5th circular of inconclusive balloting, and the House morals radical had gotten backmost to Long, successful his undisclosed location. He had so go a backstage national astatine noon Tuesday, with the gaveling successful of the 118th Congress, whose House was inactive a headless body.

Back connected the floor, Rep.-elect Kat Cammack (R-Fla.) was nominating McCarthy for a sixth ballot.

Democrats “want america to combat each other,” Cammack said to the chamber. “That overmuch has been made wide by the popcorn and blankets and alcohol” connected the Democratic side.

Democrats began to boo and hiss.

“The House is not successful order,” Cammack said with a smile. “The House is not successful order.”

Democrats began to telephone for her words to beryllium stricken from the legislature record. It seemed that they could not.

“We person nary rules,” explained McCarthy, talker lone of purgatory.

Roxanne Roberts and Marianna Sotomayor contributed to this report.