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Congressman Tom Tiffany reacts to days of failed votes for the House speaker

Wisconsin.gov

As the U.S. House of Representatives enters its fourth day of voting for speaker, it’s unclear whether Kevin McCarthy has enough votes to secure the majority.

One vote he does have secured, though, is that of Congressman Tom Tiffany, who represents Wisconsin's 7th congressional district.

Tiffany has voted consistently for McCarthy over the past three days, and in a conversation with WXPR’s Erin Gottsacker, said he plans to continue doing so today.

“I decided to vote for Kevin McCarthy because I believe he has agreed to the process changes that I think need to be done,” Tiffany said, “For example, while it’s inside baseball, we should have open rules on the floor of the House that allow amendments.”

Tiffany said although the days-long debate over House speaker is unprecedented in the modern era, he believes the conversation could result in a more open forum for lawmaking.

“This could be the dawning of a new era where we have a more open House of Representatives,” he said.

The House is set to begin another round of voting for speaker today.

Tiffany said today’s votes will be critical, but he's unsure whether McCarthy has enough support.

“If (McCarthy) is able to secure it as we go through the next couple of days, I think this is his best opportunity to do it,” Tiffany said. “I think if we get into next week, then it becomes perhaps more of a wide-open field.”

He said the timeline on electing the next House speaker could range from a couple days to much longer.

Listen to his full conversation with WXPR here:

Rep. Tom Tiffany on the vote for House speaker

Erin Gottsacker worked at WXPR as a Morning Edition host and reporter from December 2020 to January 2023. During her time at the station, Erin reported on the issues that matter most in the Northwoods.
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