US House Adjourns Until Noon Thursday After Failing to Elect Chamber's New Speaker

The situation marks the first time in a century that the House of Representatives has failed to select a speaker on the first ballot. House lawmakers cannot be formally sworn into office until a speaker is elected.

The US House of Representatives voted late Wednesday to adjourn until noon on Thursday after the chamber failed for a second straight day to elect a new speaker for the 118th Congress as Republicans remain at an impasse.

The vote to adjourn came down 216 to 214, with four Republicans voting alongside Democrats to oppose the motion.

The motion came hours after an earlier vote was put before the lower chamber to implement a pause on voting after a sixth ballot on selecting the next speaker proved fruitless.

Moments before the House was due to pick up voting once again, Rep. Kevin McCarthy informed reporters that he did not want to hold a seventh speaker vote on Wednesday despite the minimal progress made during the initial adjournment.

"I think it's probably best to let people work through it some more," McCarthy said at the time. "I don't think a vote tonight does any difference but a vote in the future will."

Ballots to elect a speaker began on Tuesday during the House’s first session of the new Congress. The House held three failed ballots on Tuesday and three more on Wednesday before adjourning for a break.

Republicans hold a 222-212 majority in the House, with 218 votes needed to elect a speaker. However, 20 Republican members are casting votes for Congressman Byron Donalds instead of McCarthy, whom the majority of the party backs.

The Republicans opposed to McCarthy have criticized the former minority leader’s ability to reform House rules and push for the party’s priorities.

US President Joe Biden called the situation embarrassing, noting that the rest of the world is watching what is happening in the House, but that it is not his problem.