Summary
After three days and hundreds of votes cast, the House has still not elected a speaker. There is no sign that Kevin McCarthy has broken his GOP opposition, leaving the Republican party divided and Congress paralyzed. Lisa Desjardins reports on where things stand. For a transcript of this story, click here.
Key Term: Speaker of the House
The speaker is elected by the House and usually represents the party with the majority. The speaker has a number of important roles including controlling proceedings for debate and voting, assigning committee roles, and is also second in line for the presidency after the vice-president.
Discussion Questions
- Who is Kevin McCarthy, and what role is he being considered for in the House?
- What is the role of speaker of the House, and how is one chosen?
- Where and When do speaker elections take place?
- How is the speaker of the House determined?
- Why must Congress choose a speaker of the House before they can do anything else?
Focus Questions
What do you think would be the biggest consequence if the House fail to elect a speaker?
Media literacy: Where would go to find out more about how the House of Representatives works?
Additional Exercise
Learn more about the House of Representatives works, and how it complements the Senate using this video from iCivics:
Republished with permission from PBS NewsHour Classroom.
PBS NewsHour Classroom helps teachers and students identify the who, what, where and why-it-matters of the major national and international news stories.
