List of speakers of the United States House of Representatives Wikipedia

Table Of Content

• Speaker pro tempore
• Republican hardliners frustrate leader's bid to become speaker
• Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives
• Why is the 2023 Speaker's election so unusual?
• What does the speaker of the House do? Here’s what Kevin McCarthy’s successor will have for a job
• Rep. Mike Johnson
• The Speaker of the House’s Constitutional Role

The first politically powerful Speaker, Henry Clay of Kentucky, served between 1810 and 1824. Unlike his predecessors, Clay took part in several heated debates and was influential in winning the passage of legislation he supported, such as the declaration of the War of 1812. When none of the candidates in the controversial presidential election of 1824 received an Electoral College vote, majority, leaving the selection of the president up to the House, Speaker Clay supported John Quincy Adams instead of Andrew Jackson, ensuring Adams’ victory.

Speaker pro tempore

Also, the Speaker didn’t get a clear right to vote on all House matters until 1850. As required by the Constitution, the Speaker is elected by a roll call vote held on the first day of every new session of Congress, which begins in January following the November midterm election that's held every two years. John Boehner was elected speaker when the 112th Congress convened on January 5, 2011, and was subsequently re-elected twice, at the start of the 113th and 114th Congresses.

Republican hardliners frustrate leader's bid to become speaker

Just one aggrieved lawmaker can initiate the process to remove a speaker thanks to a decision by McCarthy to change the lower chamber's rules. In his own pursuit of the speakership early last year, McCarthy agreed to allow for a vote on his ouster if it was called for by just a single member. House Republicans control the lower chamber with just a razor-thin majority and a one-vote margin, meaning with Greene, Massie and Gosar calling for Johnson's removal, that would be enough votes – assuming Democrats joined them – to topple the speaker. The conservative Republicans have hinted there are other members willing to force Johnson out. "My philosophy is you do the right thing and you let the chips fall where they may," Johnson told reporters in April. He said that he if had operated out of fear, he wouldn't be able to do his job.

Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives

The next two figures in the House Republican leadership hierarchy, Majority Leader Richard Armey and Majority Whip Tom DeLay chose not to run for the office. The chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, Bob Livingston, declared his bid for the speakership, which was unopposed, making him speaker-designate. It was then revealed, by Livingston himself, who had been publicly critical of President Bill Clinton's alleged perjury during his sexual harassment trial, that he had engaged in an extramarital affair. He opted to resign from the House, despite being urged to stay on by House Democratic leader Gephardt.

It would take only a handful of Republicans to remove Johnson from the speakership if the Democratic caucus went along with the effort. Conservatives repeatedly pushed Johnson to tie strict GOP-backed border and immigration policy changes to any foreign aid package. But with a Democratic-controlled Senate and White House, such a maneuver would have killed any chance of Congress passing foreign aid, which advocates described as essential to national security. Greene's call to force a vote to oust Johnson comes after the House passed a set of long-awaited foreign aid bills funding key U.S. allies including Ukraine and Israel. "I'm not into personal attacks. That's not why I'm doing this." Greene said, responding to the speaker's comments and eliciting laughter at her press conference. "This has nothing to do with Mike Johnson as a person but this is about his job performance."

What does the speaker of the House do? Here’s what Kevin McCarthy’s successor will have for a job

From 1977 to 1995, three successive Democratic speakers — Thomas "Tip" O'Neill, Jim Wright and Tom Foley — reinvigorated the speakership. They enlarged the party leadership structure, creating wider networks of loyalty among members of the majority party while strengthening support for their priorities. He said he did not have any conversation with Jeffries before the national security supplemental came to a vote about whether he could count on Democratic support if a motion to vacate was brought to the floor. Additionally, since many speakers held office for multiple terms, often with non-consecutive periods, the time listed for each speaker represents the total length of their time as speaker.

Johnson has been defiant in the face of the existential threat to his speakership, saying he has no intention of resigning from his post as a vast majority of his conference backs him. House Democrats on Tuesday promised to kill any effort from Greene to oust him from his speakership. They do not have control over the House's functions like the Speaker does, but instead wield power within their caucus to keep lawmakers unified in opposition to the majority or advance bipartisan efforts. The very first thing a new session of the House of Representatives must do is vote for a Speaker of the House. Without that person in place, the chamber cannot move on to any other function, including swearing-in members. At a practical level, the Speaker sets the House's legislative agenda, controls committee assignments, sets the vote and work calendar, and is responsible for keeping their party members unified behind major initiatives.

NBC: House Democratic leaders say they would help save Speaker Mike Johnson's job

Neither party agreed to permit a speakership election with the opposite party's delegation participating. Finally, it was agreed to exclude both delegations from the election and a speaker was finally chosen on December 17. Toward the end of the 19th century, the office of speaker began to develop into a very powerful one.

A shrewd and effective Speaker will be able to marshal their members behind their party's agenda, and control rebellious lawmakers by doling out incentives or punishments. Dummies has always stood for taking on complex concepts and making them easy to understand. Dummies helps everyone be more knowledgeable and confident in applying what they know. Whether it's to pass that big test, qualify for that big promotion or even master that cooking technique; people who rely on dummies, rely on it to learn the critical skills and relevant information necessary for success. In 1910, however, a revolt of House members stripped Speaker Cannon of most of his powers, particularly the ability to name committee members.

Speaker Johnson’s job looks safe as Democrats plan to block effort to oust him - MarketWatch

Speaker Johnson’s job looks safe as Democrats plan to block effort to oust him.

Posted: Tue, 30 Apr 2024 15:24:00 GMT [source]

Hundreds of people had gathered on campus, both inside a barricaded tent encampment and outside of it in support. An alleged leader of a group the Drug Enforcement Administration accuses of flooding Los Angeles with fentanyl, meth and other illicit drugs has a May 17 date in U.S. federal court. (NewsNation) — The House of Representatives remains at a standstill while it is without a speaker, a vacancy that has highlighted the position as one of the most important in Washington.

“He has shown us that he will not stand up for secure elections, he will not stand up for democracy. During votes Tuesday, she held an extensive conversation with House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., who said afterward that he had stressed the work Republicans were trying to accomplish as she weighs her next move. Greene, R-Ga., filed a resolution with the House clerk last month — called a motion to vacate — that would remove Johnson from office if approved by the House. The announcement from Democrats ensures that Johnson will survive the most difficult stretch of his tenure so far, which saw him struggle through internal GOP divisions to pass government funding, the renewal of a key surveillance program and aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. Greene, a second-term Georgia lawmaker, initially filed her motion that can lead to the removal of a House speaker in March.

Johnson long dithered on the issue under intense pressure from conservatives but the speaker made a remarkable change of attitude, particularly with funding Ukraine. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. "I've had colleagues from both parties come up to me on the floor, of course, and say we won't stand for this," he said. This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Federal government of the United States. The House of Representatives functions on a two-year cycle, known as a "session." The new Congress began on 3 January 2023 and Republicans will be in the majority.

The coming showdown has the potential to plunge the House into chaos once again after the lower chamber has already seen the ouster of its last GOP speaker, former Rep. Kevin McCarthy. Finding a replacement for the California Republican took three weeks amid significant GOP infighting, with former President Donald Trump demonstrating his power over the party by making public statements that undercut support for one of the leading candidates. "I voted for Mike Johnson because his voting record before he became speaker was conservative," Greene said at a press conference on Wednesday morning outside the U.S. "But once he became speaker, he has become a man that none of us recognize." The House Vacancy Announcement and Placement Service ("HVAPS") assists House members, committees and leadership by posting job vacancies and maintaining a resume bank. HVAPS provides confidential referral of resumes when House offices request them.

That last duty is why, until a new speaker is elected, Congress will be unable to take action on important end-of-year items, including passing a federal budget. While legislators were able to reach a deal on a temporary funding measure — the reason behind former Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s ouster — they must pass another before Nov. 17. Today, the role of the speaker is influenced especially by changes instituted by Speaker Newt Gingrich, who took the gavel after the 1994 elections. By the 1970s, committees had gained such control over legislative outcomes that widespread reforms were adopted, which shifted power back to the speaker. For months, Greene has railed against Johnson, threatening to force a vote to oust him if he put Ukraine aid on the House floor. Johnson did just that, shepherding a package through the House that included Ukraine aid, as well as funds for Israel and a bill to provide a pathway to ban TikTok in the U.S.

Still, Greene indicated she may move forward with the effort to remove Johnson, tweeting on X that she believes in recorded votes to put “Congress on record.” She also called Johnson “officially the Democratic Speaker of the House” and questioned “what slimy deal” he made for Democratic support. A vast majority of both Republicans and Democrats are expected to dismiss Greene's motion, but the conservative firebrand defended her move, saying the motion would allow Americans to see who supports the speaker. While Greene appeared to be a lone dissenter at first, fellow conservative hardliner Massie, joined her effort in mid-April, calling on Johnson to resign or face a vote of no confidence on the House floor.

The vote for Speaker requires a candidate to receive the support of a majority of the House votes. The existing leader of the majority party is usually presumed to be the person to assume the speakership. The majority party members and the minority party members meet separately to select their leaders.