Unite For a Consensus Coalition, We Need A House Speaker NOW

I'm exhausted and fearful for our safety because we have a non-functioning House of Representatives. We are facing what appears to be an inevitable government shutdown. The unseriousness and performative antics we are witnessing in DC are sickening, particularly against the backdrop of real humanitarian crises in Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine. As you know, essential aid to all these places is at the mercy of a functioning House. On the domestic front, a shutdown hurts the most vulnerable in our society. Nearly 7 million recipients of The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children would see an immediate benefit reduction (Tom Vilsak). Finally, the waste of time and resources is unconscionable. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the five-week shutdown that ended in 2019 resulted in $11 billion of lost gross domestic product, $3 billion of which was never recovered. Now that Jordan has lost a third speaker vote. He won’t—and absolutely shouldn’t—become speaker. There is no Republican who can get the votes without Democratic support. The only way forward is for a majority of House members to unite in a cross-party alliance and elect a Republican Speaker. This speaker must reject MAGA extremism. It’s time for a consensus coalition to unite and save the House and America from this extremism and chaos.