The House of Representatives is set to vote on its next speaker on January 3, just three days before a joint session of Congress is scheduled to confirm President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory. However, Politico is reporting that a prolonged dispute over the speaker’s election could delay the certification process. This is because Congress cannot conduct any other business until a speaker has been elected.

Last month, Republicans secured both the White House and control of both chambers of Congress, and many within the party are eager to push forward with Trump’s legislative priorities. However, the GOP holds a narrow majority in the House—meaning that a single Republican could block the election of a speaker—and conservatives are raising concerns about whether Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., should continue in the role.

Johnson seemed poised to secure a full term as speaker until last week, when he reached an initial spending agreement with Democrats. This led to a backlash from conservative lawmakers, with some calling for a change in leadership. Trump, who had previously supported Johnson, has not yet weighed in on whether he backs Johnson for the role in the upcoming Congress.

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., has promised to oppose Johnson, and other Republicans have remained undecided. If the contest for the speakership continues past 1 p.m. on January 6, experts agree that there are procedural avenues that could allow for the counting and certification of Electoral College votes on that day, as reported by Roll Call.

Lawmakers also have the power to pass legislation that could alter the date for certifying the Electoral College votes, according to Politico. “The country would be going into one big gray area,” Steve Smith, a political science professor at Arizona State University, explained to Roll Call. “The one precedent that is clear and could help determine what happens is at the start of a new Congress, the election of the speaker is the first thing the House does.

“Nothing else happens until the speaker is elected. It’s been that way since 1789 when the first Congress convened. Now, that worked just fine for the first Congress. But that could prove problematic here.”

Justin Levitt, a law professor at Loyola Marymount University who previously served as senior policy advisor for democracy and voting rights in President Joe Biden’s White House, expressed the view that the joint session to count the electoral votes could proceed even without a speaker.

Vice President Kamala Harris, as president of the Senate, is expected to preside over the joint session of Congress to certify her own defeat to Trump.

{Matzav.com}