Tennessee lawmaker calls on House GOP to ‘lock the door’ and work through weekend to elect speaker
Fox News
A Tennessee Republican lawmaker is calling on his party to convene and “lock the door” until a speaker is chosen — even if it means sacrificing the weekend.
Tennessee GOP Rep. Andy Ogles is sending around a dear colleague letter to his fellow House GOP lawmakers calling for the conference to continue meeting until a speaker is chosen.
Fox News Digital obtained the letter Ogles is sending around to his House Republican colleagues amid the battle for the gavel.
“As the GOP Conference remains deadlocked in the contest for Speaker of the House of Representatives, it is clear that going to the Floor and having a drawn-out competition damages our credibility with the American people,” Ogles wrote in the letter Thursday.
“For the sake of good governance, we owe it to our constituents to meet later today at Conference, lock the door, and not adjourn until we have selected our new Speaker — weekends are no longer eligible for time off,” the Tennessee freshman lawmaker continued.
Ogles wrote that the GOP conference “can no longer continue the song and dance routine of meeting and adjourning without coming to a consensus.”
“Americans shouldn’t be asked to wait longer for Congress to renew its efforts to tackle the opioid crisis, the border crisis, the spending crisis, and the barbaric terrorists responsible for the unprovoked attack against Israel,” the letter reads.
“We cannot afford to allow our Caucus to appear as if it is [lackadaisical] in its approach to good governance,” Ogles wrote. “I look forward to seeing each of you later tonight.”
Ogles’ letter comes as the House sits at a standstill without a top dog to lead the lower chamber after former Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s historic ouster last week.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., was chosen as the GOP’s nominee for speaker on Wednesday, but he dropped out of the race Thursday night following a closed-door meeting with fellow House Republicans.
SCALISE DROPS OUT OF RACE FOR HOUSE SPEAKER
It quickly became clear after his nomination that Scalise did not have the support needed to win a House-wide vote. With just a razor-thin majority, he could only afford to lose four GOP members to still clinch the gavel without Democratic support.
House Republicans are expected to meet Friday morning to choose a new speaker candidate.
Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind contributed reporting.