United States | News & Politics

This is the best summary I could come up with:

WASHINGTON — In a closed-door meeting Thursday, Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., told GOP colleagues he might resign as speaker pro tempore if Republicans push him to try to move legislation on the floor without an explicit vote to expand his powers, according to multiple lawmakers in the room.

It's a different idea from the formal resolution proposed by Rep. Dave Joyce, R-Ohio, which would require a floor vote to empower McHenry to move legislation like spending bills and aid packages for Ukraine and Israel.

A second GOP lawmaker said that McHenry made the remarks “tongue in cheek” but that the message was clear: He questioned the constitutionality of such an option and said he did not want the greater authority unless Republicans agreed to grant it to him through a formal vote.

In individual conversations with members, McHenry also has threatened to resign as speaker pro tem if such a resolution were passed on the floor, the GOP lawmaker said.

It was not my intention when I put a name down that they couldn’t do anything,” McCarthy told reporters after Thursday's meeting, during which lawmakers debated whether to vote on Joyce’s resolution.

McCarthy was referring to the fact that since 2003, in the wake of the 9/11 attack, House rules have required the speaker to submit a list of names to the clerk of members to act in case of a vacancy in the position and to ensure continuity of government.

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