White House Maintains Position: ‘We’re Going to Let the Process Play Out’ in Congress

The White House is maintaining its position, refusing to weigh in on the contentious speakership race in the U.S. House of Representatives as White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said they are going to let the process “play out.”

When asked if the White House has thought through the “implications” of there not currently being an effective House of Representatives for an “indefinite” amount of time, Jean-Pierre maintained the position she offered Tuesday.

“So you heard the President. He did, as you know, a gaggle on his way out, on the South Lawn heading onto Marine One. He spoke to it pretty extensively. I’m not going to — I don’t have much to add on what he laid out, on what his thoughts were about what currently is happening,” she said.

Indeed, President Biden briefly weighed in on the matter on Wednesday, asserting that the speakership fight is “not my problem.”

“I just think that it is embarrassing the way it has taken so long and the way they are treating one another. And the rest of the world looking, looking at, you know, can we get our act together and what I focus on getting things done,” he added.

Once again, Jean-Pierre said the White House is going to let the process “play out.”

“Look, what we can say right now is — what I’ve been saying is, you know, we’re — we’re going to let the process play out. This is a Republican Conference to figure out who they want to be the Speaker,” she explained.

“What the President has said and will continue to say: He is — he is, you know, ready to reach across the aisle, as he’s done as senator, as he has said during his campaign, as we’ve seen him do,” she continued, adding that she is “not going to embellish or go beyond what the President said today on the South Lawn.”

As of the writing of this article, the House speakership vote failed five times as Republicans failed to unite behind Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).

As Breitbart News reported:

Needing 18 votes, McCarthy only received 201 votes, while House Democrats unanimously backed Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) for speaker with 212 votes. A small fraction of House Republicans gave 20 votes to Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), and one member voted present.

Because of this, the House will move on to a sixth vote.