The mood has been growing since Tuesday, when a jubilant choir of families gathered for the start of the 118th Congress. Lawmakers had their loved ones watch from the gallery. upstairs or have kids by their side, waiting for the swearing-in and celebratory pictures of the big day.
The families in the gallery eased off on Wednesday, when it seemed clear that no oaths of office would be taken and there would be no photos with the speaker – whatever it may be. who – taken at any point in the near future.
But the House floor was frantic. Mr. Gaetz held heated conversations as Democrats and Republicans questioned each other in tumultuous nomination speeches. An evening adjournment vote broke out into shouts.
Some have taken advantage of the conflict. Representative-elect George Santos, the incoming Republican from New York, who has being stalked by lies about my background, surrounded by reporters on Tuesday. He spent most of his time in the room of the House alone. But as attention drifted away from him on Wednesday, he began to converse more easily with his colleagues. By Thursday, he was sitting with some of Mr. Gaetz’s allies who seemed happy to welcome him into the group.
Another advantage belongs to C-SPAN. With no one in charge of the House, the cable network ran into some limitations on what its cameras could broadcast. Instead of the usual wide shots, C-SPAN captures legislators negotiating, and the discomfort, anger, and awkwardness that often accompanies it.
But by Thursday afternoon, meetings between Republican leadership and defectors had largely taken place behind closed doors, meaning there was less action on the floor. Some minor details stand out: Representative Lauren Underwood, an Illinois Democrat, returned from a break in the eighth vote and was confused when someone had taken the seat she had taken. peace of mind occupied for many days. Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks, an Iowa Republican, brought a gold football helmet to the floor.
The other members tried to make the poll more interesting. Mr. Gaetz broke precedent by voting for former President Donald Trump. Representative Lauren Boebert, the Colorado Republican who is one of Mr McCarthy’s most outspoken opponents, teased the whole room by saying during the eighth vote that she was changing her vote to Kevin – Representative Kevin Hern of Oklahoma.
Emily Cochrane and Catie Edmondson contribution report.
