McCarthy positions himself as de facto leader of the US House of Representatives.

Republicans do not have a clear idea of ​​who will be the new president of the federal House of Representativesleaving an unprecedented power vacuum in the Congress and severely limits the ability of USA to respond quickly to the crisis in Israeland countless other problems at home and abroad.

On Monday, ousted former President Kevin McCarthy quickly sought to fill that void, harshly criticizing President Joe Biden’s administration over its steadfast defense of Israel and positioning himself as the de facto Republican leader despite calls from his colleagues. They were fired from the position.

But it’s not entirely clear whether McCarthy could actually make a comeback, or whether one of the other Republicans running for office, Steve Scalise or Jim Jordan, can be elected president at a time when the majority is mired in disputes. internal. House Republicans were scheduled to meet behind closed doors Monday night to try to regain control of their majority ahead of possible votes this week to elect a president.

“Whether I am speaker of the house or not… I can be a leader in any position I am in,” McCarthy declared on Capitol Hill.

The turbulence in the House of Representatives puts the federal Congress at a crossroads during a time of crisis, the first time in history that it has removed one of its presidents, and is operating without a constitutional official, second in line to the presidency. The business of the lower house, and with it most legislative action, has come to a standstill.

It’s unclear what, if anything, Congress can do with only an acting president. At risk are sending immediate aid to Israel, as well as passing a resolution showing US support for Israel and condemning Hamas for the attack while the region is now mired in war.

And Congress faces broader demands, including requests from Ukraine for aid in its fight against Russia and the need to refund the U.S. government by Nov. 17, or risk a government shutdown. Meanwhile, the Senate is on recess until next week.

“Does anyone have the votes? No”said Rep. Mike Lawler, a centrist Republican who is pushing for McCarthy to be reinstated as president.

At their meeting Monday night, Republicans will assess the path forward following McCarthy’s historic ouster at the hands of a handful of hardline Republicans, led by Rep. Matt Gaetz.

Gaetz has said on social networks that there are “two great men” who aspire to be speaker of the lower house, in an indication that he could support Scalise or Jordan.

But neither Scalise, the second-ranking Republican in the House of Representatives, nor Jordan, who serves as chairman of the Judiciary Committee and is backed by former President Donald Trump, appear to have the votes needed to secure the majority vote.

Meanwhile, Republican Representative Patrick McHenry has been named president pro tempore, a position created after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 to ensure continuity of government in Washington.

The rules surrounding the office of president pro tempore have not been tested before, although they appear to indicate that the primary mandate of the office is to ensure the election of a new president.