Speaker Race in New Turmoil
This week’s Analysis and Commentary is entitled: FY 24 Appropriations: House Options Limited Regardless of Who Becomes Speaker.
Speaker Race in New Turmoil. Anyone chosen to be Speaker will need to have 217 committed votes–the number necessary to ensure an election of a Republican speaker without making concessions to Democrats. Only five House Republicans need to oppose a Speaker to make it impossible to get to 217. Last week, that led to the ouster of Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
This week, the House Republican Conference voted to nominate House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.)(133 votes) to be the new Speaker rather than House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH)(99 votes). After the Wednesday vote, Jordan endorsed Scalise’s candidacy. Despite that, less than 36 hours after the vote, Scalise had to withdraw when it became clear he could not garner 217 votes.
At press time (Friday morning), House Republicans continue to discuss different candidates and whether any have a chance to command 217 votes. Given their party’s slim majority and broad ideological range, there is a lot of frustration and pessimism in the Republican caucus.
In April 2023, a Washington Post story described the House’s “five families,” a dynamic that McCarthy recognized but ultimately could not control. A different but compatible analysis was provided by Roll Call yesterday (here). Taken together, the two articles provide a good lens for understanding this evolving struggle.
Impact of the House Leadership Struggle on the CR and Appropriations Bills. Speaker McCarthy’s ouster was tied to his willingness to use Democratic votes to avoid a government shutdown on October 1. Consequently, Representatives Scalise and Jordan were grilled extensively about their plans to deliver 12 House appropriations bills containing conservative Republican funding levels and policy riders. They were also asked their views on continued funding while appropriations bills move through the process.
Any new candidates for Speaker will face the same questions. Right now it is hard to imagine a House Member who can garner 217 votes to be Speaker without a path forward on budget and appropriations that can also command 217 votes.
As long as there is no Speaker, there is no way for the House to 1/ decide and act upon the November 17 expiration of the CR, and 2/ address supplemental funding requests for Israel, Ukraine, and other urgent matters.
The budget and appropriations options for the new Speaker (when identified and elected) are explored in this week’s Analysis and Commentary. All pathways will impact FDA’s resource needs.
Senate Appropriations to Resume Consideration of Ag/FDA Minibus Week of October 16. As reported last week, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has now announced that the Senate will resume consideration of the three-bill spending package that includes Ag/FDA when the Senate returns from recess the week of October 16.
FDA Establishes New Digital Health Advisory Committee. FDA has announced the creation of a new Digital Health Advisory Committee with nine (9) core voting members plus temporary members drawn from scientific and technical fields. The Committee will advise FDA on the benefits, risks, and outcomes of digital health. A key goal is ensuring devices meet the needs of diverse populations to advance health equity.
FDA expects the committee to be operational by 2024, helping guide digital health regulation that encourages innovation while protecting patients. See FDA’s announcement here. Related Federal Register notices regarding the establishment of the committee can be found here. Comments are due December 11.
Requests for nominations of voting members, individuals, and consumer organizations, and individuals and industry organizations for the Digital Health Advisory Committee, can be found here, here, and here. Nominations are due December 11, November 27, and November 13 respectively.
FDA Finalizes Guidance on Conduct of Clinical Trials During Disasters and Emergencies. Over the last three years of Alliance webinars, the most asked question has been: how will FDA’s responses to the COVID-19 emergency shape future policies and procedures?
In March 2020, FDA published guidance on trials affected by the COVID pandemic. Last month, the agency updated its guidance and expanded the applicability to a broader range of situations beyond COVID-19. HPM’s FDA Law Blog provides an excellent analysis here.
Friday Update Will Not Publish on October 20. Regardless of the publication schedule, the Alliance staff are available to our members and media to answer questions about FDA’s resource and program needs.