Burchett says he won't vote to empower McHenry: I don't like bow ties
Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., said he would not support a resolution to empower Patrick McHenry as speaker pro tempore.
"Why would we do that? We’ll empower him for what, two months, and then the last day before we'll start saying, 'Oh, hey, we need to elect a new speaker?'" Burchett said.
"It's not anything against him. I'm not a fan of bow ties," Burchett said, joking about the neck attire that McHenry often wears.
Burchett seemed confident in a third round of voting, saying Jordan is "individually meeting with the people addressing their concerns."
Gimenez says he voted for McCarthy because he's the 'right speaker'
Gimenez said he voted for McCarthy again today because the House needs "to get the right speaker, not a quick speaker."
"If you put the wrong speaker in for short-term kind of game, you’re going to end up in a long, long run not benefiting, so I want to make sure we have the right speaker," Gimenez said.
“I know who the right speaker is. That’s who I voted for,” he added.
Gimenez said he spoke to Jordan yesterday and "he knows exactly where I stand."
Gimenez said he believes Jordan is behind robocalls targeting voters in his district and was unsatisfied with Jordan's response.
"I told him I don’t really take well to threats,” Gimenez said.
Democrats are discussing whether to support resolution giving McHenry temporary powers
Democrats are discussing whether to support a resolution that would give McHenry some temporary powers and let the chamber function, according to two sources familiar with the meeting.
Garcia calls for a GOP retreat in Gettysburg
Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Calif., suggested that it’s time for Republicans to have a retreat far outside of the Beltway and away from lobbyists and reporters.
“If I was in a leadership position, I would take us off site somewhere. It sounds silly, but let’s go to Gettysburg or something,” he told reporters. “Let’s go to somewhere that is meaningful to our nation’s history so that the Republican Party can once again remember why we do what we do.”
Garcia added that he is fed up with the “politics and drama” that has ensued, saying he is in office to serve the people of the nation.
“So I think all members need to be reminded of that once in awhile, so let’s go do an off-site somewhere where there’s historical importance -- Manassas or somewhere else -- to remind us of why we fight these fights and why we are actually in this job,” he said.
McCarthy said the speaker suite is cleaned out and 'waiting for them to elect somebody'
McCarthy told reporters this afternoon that the speaker suite is all ready to be handed off when he was asked about how long he would stay in the space.
"Oh, it's all cleaned out. I'm just waiting for them to elect somebody," McCarthy said.
"I moved all my paintings. I got a few tape marks of where to move my furniture next.”
Womack says going to a third vote would be 'worse' for Jordan
Rep. Steve Womack of Arkansas told reporters that he believes going to a third vote will be the "final straw," making the process of electing a new speaker even more difficult.
"I personally think that if we go to a third vote it’s gonna get worse. It could get a lot worse. Because people are, I think, most rational thinkers are believing that wow, the number grew, and he had all that time to kind of work on him," Womack said.
Womack said that "there's a chance" the conference would consider empowering McHenry as speaker pro tempore, to "give him an opportunity to at least start moving the House so that we can take that pressure off of the House in this decision."
When asked if he believed McHenry actually wanted to be empowered, Womack said he thinks McHenry would "do a fine job."
"He's a good guy. He's capable, but he's got a young family. And so it's a major time consequence for him. I think, you know, I can't speak for Patrick. I think Patrick would do a fine job," Womack said.
Jordan says he is 'right where McCarthy was' at his second ballot
Jordan told NBC News that he is "right where Speaker McCarthy was in this process," following his second failed ballot for speaker.
"We're just going to keep talking to members," Jordan said.
Democrats to huddle at 2 p.m.
While the GOP plans for what’s next remain in flux, House Democrats just added a members-only meeting at 2 p.m., per an invite obtained by NBC News.
Jordan says he is not backing down from speaker race
Following his second loss, Jordan said he is not going to be dropping his nomination for speaker.
"We picked up some today, a couple dropped off, but they voted for me before I think they can come back again. So we'll keep talking to members and keep working on it," Jordan said.
Jordan also said he still believes he is the one person who can bring House Republicans together.
He said he is not yet sure when the next vote will be.
Womack, who voted against Jordan twice, says House needs 'divine intervention'
Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark., who voted for Scalise instead of Jordan yesterday and today, said the House needs “a little divine intervention right now.”
Asked what the consequences are for the House being unable to function without a speaker, Womack said the chamber has ceded its “ability to do what we need to be doing to others, to the Senate, to the White House.”
“This House needs a little help, needs a little divine intervention right now,” he said.
Womack also defended Jordan defectors such as Rep. Jake Ellzey of Texas, who voted Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Calif., for speaker twice thus far.
“When you’re attacking those kinds of people that just simply will not work,” Womack said, adding: “So think of the distinction between being opposed to somebody because you want something, and being opposed to somebody because you are a principled conservative.”