USA-CONGRESS/REPUBLICANS-CONFERENCE Paul Ryan emerging as consensus candidate for House Speaker

Record ID: 135913

  • Title: USA-CONGRESS/REPUBLICANS-CONFERENCE Paul Ryan emerging as consensus candidate for House Speaker
  • Date: 9th October 2015
  • Summary: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (OCTOBER 09, 2015) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) REPRESENTATIVE JASON CHAFFETZ, A REPUBLICAN OF UTAH WHO HAS BEEN MENTIONED AS A POSSIBLE CANDIDATE FOR SPEAKER, IN AN EXCHANGE WITH REPORTERS, SAYING: REPORTER: "Do you think Ryan will make the decision?" CHAFFETZ: "I don't know. I mean, he keeps saying he won't do it, so I believe him." REP
  • Embargoed: 24th October 2015 13:00
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  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA1AWNG4A16EWB4DDWRR4GC76LP
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: U.S. House Republicans met behind closed doors to discuss next steps in their internal leadership battle on Friday (October 09), the day after the front-runner to lead their chamber abruptly quit the speaker's race.
    Finding a replacement for House Speaker John Boehner has consumed Republicans as Congress faces a series of pressing decisions, from raising the government borrowing authority to funding federal agencies through September.
    Further complicating matters is that the House of Representatives is set to take recess next week.
    Representative Paul Ryan, who was Mitt Romney's vice-presidential running mate against Barack Obama in the 2012 election, seemed to be emerging as a consensus candidate. But Ryan has not yet indicated that he wants the job.
    The race for speaker of the Republican-dominated House was upended when House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, the apparent frontrunner, dropped out, saying he could not get the support he needed to win. Boehner had planned to leave Congress on October 30 but said he would stay until a replacement is elected, and the future of the planned October 29 vote for speaker in the full House remained in question.
    Other candidates include Representatives Daniel Webster of Florida and Jason Chaffetz of Utah. John Kline of Minnesota has also been mentioned but not as widely.
    Webster has the backing the House Freedom Caucus, a group of about 40 members aligned with the Tea Party movement that calls for lower taxes, less federal spending and reduction of the national debt and budget deficit. Chaffetz has gained prominence as the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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