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The speaker is also third in line to the presidency (after the vice president) and plays a role in the 25th Amendment process of dealing with a presidential incapacitation. From 1977 to 1995, three successive Democratic speakers – Thomas “Tip” O’Neill, Jim Wright and Tom Foley – reinvigorated the speakership. They enlarged the party leadership structure, creating wider networks of loyalty among members of the majority party while strengthening support for their priorities. During the republic’s early years, the speakership gradually gained power.
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The speaker is responsible for maintaining decorum in the House and may order the Sergeant-at-Arms to enforce House rules. Historically, there have been several controversial elections to the speakership, such as the contest of 1839. In that case, even though the 26th United States Congress convened on December 2, the House could not begin the speakership election until December 14 because of an election dispute in New Jersey known as the "Broad Seal War". Two rival delegations, one Whig and the other Democrat, had been certified as elected by different branches of the New Jersey government.
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
“Clay championed national policies over regional ones, and he effectively coupled the institutional tools of the speakership with his personal charisma, raising the stature of the House,” the House historian’s office notes. Today, the role of the speaker is influenced especially by changes instituted by Speaker Newt Gingrich, who took the gavel after the 1994 elections. Second, the speaker manages business on the floor and navigates legislative rules, structuring House debate in a way that will advantage their legislative priorities. Adherence to strict rules and procedures is necessary to overcome the difficulty of managing a large legislative body like the House of Representatives. The US Constitution established the role of Speaker of the House, which oversees the lower chamber of Congress. The Speaker is both traditionally and historically a sitting member of the majority party, though this is not a constitutional requirement.
From legislation to accounting
The Committee on Rules ceased to be a semi-independent panel, as it had been since 1910. Moreover, in 1975, the speaker was granted the authority to appoint a majority of the members of the Rules Committee. Meanwhile, the power of committee chairmen was curtailed, further increasing the relative influence of the speaker.
Presiding officer
He helped shape many bills, working quietly in the background with House committees. He also helped ensure the passage of several domestic measures and foreign assistance programs advocated by Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry Truman. Since Gingrich’s tenure, speakers are often criticized as too partisan and too powerful, trampling minority party interests. At a practical level, the Speaker sets the House's legislative agenda, controls committee assignments, sets the vote and work calendar, and is responsible for keeping their party members unified behind major initiatives. Since the first organized political parties—the Federalist Party and the Democratic-Republican Party—did not appear until the 1790s, some scholars suggest that early Speakers of the House served largely ceremonial, rather than actively partisan political roles as they do today. Along with the title and duties, the Speaker of the House continues to serve as the elected representative from his or her congressional district.
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Toward the end of the 19th century, the office of speaker began to develop into a very powerful one. At the time, one of the most important sources of the speaker's power was his position as Chairman of the Committee on Rules, which, after the reorganization of the committee system in 1880, became one of the most powerful standing committees of the House. Furthermore, several speakers became leading figures in their political parties; examples include Democrats Samuel J. Randall, John Griffin Carlisle, and Charles F. Crisp, and Republicans James G. Blaine, Thomas Brackett Reed, and Joseph Gurney Cannon.
Democratic Leadership
The Speaker recognizes Members to speak on the House Floor or make motions during Floor proceedings. The Speaker may debate or vote, but typically only occasionally does so. The Speaker also serves as an ex officio member of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Katherine ClarkAssists leadership in managing party's legislative program. A shrewd and effective Speaker will be able to marshal their members behind their party's agenda, and control rebellious lawmakers by doling out incentives or punishments.
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Who is temporary House Speaker Patrick McHenry? - BBC.com
Who is temporary House Speaker Patrick McHenry?.
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By 1910, Speaker Joe Cannon had centralized power to such an extent that many of his own party members rebelled. Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York was selected as the Democratic minority leader. The very first thing a new session of the House of Representatives must do is vote for a Speaker of the House. Without that person in place, the chamber cannot move on to any other function, including swearing-in members. The longest-serving and perhaps most influential Speaker in history was Texas Democrat Sam Rayburn, who served as Speaker from 1940 to 1947, 1949 to 1953, and 1955 to 1961. Working closely with House committees and members from both parties, Speaker Rayburn ensured the passage of several controversial domestic policies and foreign aid bills backed by Presidents Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman.
And the removal of Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as Speaker of the House is unprecedented in Congressional history. On the floor of the House, the presiding officer is always addressed as "Mister Speaker" or "Madam Speaker", even if that person is serving as speaker pro tempore. When the House resolves itself into a Committee of the Whole, the speaker designates a member to preside over the committee, who is addressed as "Mister Chairman" or "Madam Chairwoman". The presiding officer also rules on all points of order but such rulings may be appealed to the whole House.
The speakership reached its apogee during the term of Republican Joseph Gurney Cannon (1903–1911). He determined the agenda of the House, appointed the members of all committees, chose committee chairmen, headed the Rules Committee, and determined which committee heard each bill. He vigorously used his powers to ensure that Republican proposals were passed by the House. The Speaker is usually selected during party meetings before a new Congress meets, and the House confirms the selection by individual voice votes. Until January 2023, there had not been a Speaker election contested on the House floor since 1923.
Perhaps most clearly indicating the importance of the position, the Speaker of the House stands second only to the Vice President of the United States in the line of presidential succession. The Speaker’s role within the House has also seen significant changes since 1789. Under the guidelines of Jefferson’s manual, which serves as a foundation for the House’s rules, the Speaker originally didn’t talk on the House floor during debates and only spoke when conducting parliamentary manners. The Speaker also is second in line (after the vice president) to the presidency under the Presidential Succession Act of 1947, and the Speaker plays a role in the 25th Amendment’s process of dealing with the event of a presidential disability. That last duty is why, until a new speaker is elected, Congress will be unable to take action on important end-of-year items, including passing a federal budget. While legislators were able to reach a deal on a temporary funding measure — the reason behind former Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s ouster — they must pass another before Nov. 17.
The individual in this office is second in the line of presidential succession, following the vice president. In 1997, several Republican congressional leaders tried to force Speaker Newt Gingrich to resign. However, Gingrich refused since that would have required a new election for speaker, which could have led to Democrats along with dissenting Republicans voting for Democrat Dick Gephardt (then minority leader) as speaker. After the 1998 midterm elections where the Republicans lost seats, Gingrich did not stand for re-election. The next two figures in the House Republican leadership hierarchy, Majority Leader Richard Armey and Majority Whip Tom DeLay chose not to run for the office.
Kevin McCarthy was ousted. Who is speaker of the House today? Who's running to be speaker? Explained - USA TODAY
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By the 1970s, committees had gained such control over legislative outcomes that widespread reforms were adopted, which shifted power back to the speaker. The Speaker of the House is an immensely powerful role that allows for near-total control over the chamber's functions. As any other Representative, the Speaker may take part in debates and vote on legislation, but traditionally does so only in exceptional circumstances — such as when his or her vote could decide very important issues (like resolutions declaring war or amending the Constitution). Typically, both the Democrats and the Republicans nominate their own candidates for Speaker. Roll call votes to select the Speaker are held repeatedly until one candidate receives a majority of all votes cast. The Speaker of the House of Representatives is the presiding officer elected by the members of the U.S.
The power of the speaker was greatly augmented during the tenure of the Republican Thomas Brackett Reed (1889–1891, 1895–1899). Reed, however, declared that members who were in the chamber but refused to vote would still count for the purposes of determining a quorum. Through these and other rulings, Reed ensured that the Democrats could not block the Republican agenda.
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