00:00 Republicans in the United States have nominated Mike Johnson as the next Speaker of the House
00:09 of Representatives, hours after their previous choice withdrew Amit Pati in fighting that
00:15 has paralyzed political decision-making in the country for more than three weeks.
00:19 Johnson of Louisiana is the fourth Republican this month to win the party's nomination
00:24 for the Speaker's chair, which has sat vacant since a small faction of party rebels ousted
00:29 Kevin McCarthy on October 3.
00:31 Johnson secured the nomination hours after Tom Emmer, the third-most senior Republican
00:35 in the House, withdrew because of opposition from party hardliners.
00:39 After he withdrew Tuesday afternoon, Emmer briskly left the building where he had been
00:43 meeting privately with Republicans.
00:45 He said later at the Capitol that Trump's opposition did not affect his decision to
00:49 bow out.
00:50 "I made my decision based on my relationship with the conference," he said, referring
00:54 to the GOP majority.
00:56 He said he would support whoever emerges as a new nominee.
00:59 "We will get it done."
01:00 The disarray has left U.S. lawmakers unable to respond to the wars in the Middle East
01:04 and Ukraine or take steps to head off a looming government shutdown on November 18.
01:10 Nominees need to secure 217 votes to become Speaker.
01:13 The high threshold and the Republican Party's slim 221-212 majority over the Democrats means
01:19 that candidates cannot afford to lose votes.
01:22 It is unusual in U.S. politics for an opposition party to vote for the rival party's nominee
01:26 for Speaker.
01:27 During private balloting, Johnson won a majority, with an expected House floor vote on Venise.
01:33 Johnson bested Barron Donalds, Mark Greene, Roger Williams, and Chuck Fischmann in the
01:39 latest Republican Speaker nomination fight.
01:42 In total, 14 Republicans have put their names forward for Speaker this month.
01:46 A lawyer specializing in constitutional issues, Johnson had rallied Republicans around Trump's
01:51 legal effort to overturn the 2020 election results.
01:54 Elevating Johnson to Speaker would give Louisiana two high-ranking GOP leaders, putting him
01:59 above majority leader Steve Scalise, who was rejected by hardliners in his own bid as Speaker.
02:04 In the end, Johnson won 128 votes on the evening ballot, more than any other candidate.
02:09 McCarthy, who was not on the ballot, won a surprising 43 votes.
02:14 Republicans have been struggling all month, unable to conduct routine business as they
02:17 fight among themselves with daunting challenges ahead.
02:20 The federal government risks a shutdown in a matter of weeks if Congress fails to pass
02:24 funding legislation by November 17 deadline to keep services and offices running.
02:29 More immediately, President Joe Biden has asked Congress to provide $105 billion in
02:34 aid to help Israel and Ukraine amid their war and to shore up the U.S. border with Mexico.
02:39 Federal aviation and farming programs face expiration without action.
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03:02 (upbeat music)
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