>Jordan: Five Families
>What is he talking about?
>saw that and immediate thought about the Godfather movies.
>Who are the 5 families in Congress?
Gaetz was on Warroom this morning discussing Speaker vote. Was using Mob language to describe Turner. "a Made Man"
The ‘five families’ of the Republican Party and a turf war over the House of Representatives
The ousting of Kevin McCarthy as Speaker has left the government deadlocked. Who will fill the power vacuum?
Matt Gaetz, a congressman from Florida, instigated the vote to remove a Speaker for the first time in American history
Matt Gaetz, a congressman from Florida, instigated the vote to remove a Speaker for the first time in American history
SAUL LOEB/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Eugene Smith
Sunday October 15 2023, 12.01am BST, The Sunday Times
They call themselves, in a nod to The Godfather, the “five families”. Five factions of the Republican Party, vying to bend the House Speaker, the capo di tutti of conservative America, to their will and thereby assume control of perhaps the world’s most powerful chamber of democracy.
For months these groups made the vulnerable incumbent, Kevin McCarthy, contradictory offers he could not refuse. Then on October 3 he was ousted, setting off a frantic succession struggle from which no one has yet emerged victorious.
The ‘five families’
Some House members have joined multiple, and some none at all
MISSING: summary MISSING: current-rows.
Republican Study Committee Big tent, includes ultraconservatives and those closer to the centre
174
174
174
Main Street Caucus Focused on the economy and national security
67
67
67
House Freedom Caucus Extreme right and especially pro-Trump
45
45
45
Republican Governance Group Home to fiscal and social conservatives
42
42
42
Problem Solvers Caucus Founded by pragmatists committed to bipartisanship
31
31
31
*Estimates as not all membership lists are made public
Table: The Times and The Sunday Times
The original leading candidate, Steve Scalise, withdrew from contention last week after failing to gain the required 217 supporters. Now Jim Jordan, the Donald Trump-endorsed founder of the House Freedom Caucus, is the nominee, but 55 members voted against his confirmation in a secret ballot on Friday, and he is unlikely to swiftly unite the party behind him given his extreme right-wing positions.
Without a Speaker congressional business cannot take place and a government shutdown looms on November 17. The deadlock leaves vital affairs of state hanging in the balance.
Why this matters
Five things in the balance
MISSING: summary MISSING: current-rows.
Shutdown
Millions of federal workers would go without pay if Congress does not approve 12 spending bills by Nov 17
Aid for allies
White House has warned Ukraine funding could run out in two months; Israel aid also requires authorisation
Benefits programmes
Some 70,000 childcare schemes are due to close if they are not renewed
Global anti-HIV scheme
Deadline to renew George W Bush-era policy that has funded treatment for 20 million has been missed
National defence budget
National Defense Authorization Act is described as a “must-pass” bill for funding the military
To understand this precarious power vacuum, it helps to know who has created it.
These are the eight House members who removed a Speaker for the first time in American history:
Meet the rebels
Zoom/select a district to learn more
or switch to dot-plot view
Map: The Times and The Sunday Times