House Freedom Caucus demands Congress stay in session until new speaker is selected

FIRST ON FOX: Members of the House Freedom Caucus are demanding that Congress stay in session until a new speaker is elected, as the House of Representatives enters its fourth week since the ouster of Rep. Kevin McCarthy.

House Republicans on Friday, after three rounds of failed votes on the floor, voted to remove Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, as its nominee for speaker of the House. Jordan is a member of the House Freedom Caucus.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS VOTE TO REMOVE JIM JORDAN AS SPEAKER NOMINEE

House Republicans are set to meet Monday night to discuss a path forward and hear from the speaker candidates. The next earliest floor vote on that prospective nominee likely would not be until Tuesday.

But members of the House Freedom Caucus are urging House leadership to keep Republicans in Washington until the next speaker is selected, saying “no speaker, no recess.” 

“The House Republican Conference must remain in Washington D.C. until a new speaker of the House is elected,” the House Freedom Caucus said in a statement Monday. “Republican leadership should have kept Republicans in Washington over the weekend. Our work is not done.”

Members of the House Freedom Caucus said Republicans are “starting at ground zero after Jim Jordan, arguably one of the most popular Republicans in the country, was rejected by House Republicans.” 

“We must proceed with all possible speed and determination,” they said. “Intentional and unnecessary delays must end.”

The House Freedom Caucus said that it only serves “the lobbyists of the swamp and defenders of the status quo to continue to drag out this process.” 

MULTIPLE HOUSE SPEAKER CANDIDATES EMERGE AFTER FAILED JORDAN BID AS GOP PLANS TO RECONVENE MONDAY

“The Speaker Pro Tempore and Republican leadership must keep Republicans in Washington as long as it takes and proceed with electing a new Speaker of the House without delay,” they said.

The demands come after Republicans huddled behind closed doors Friday, after Jordan failed to garner enough support on a third ballot on the House floor.

Twenty-five Republicans voted for someone other than Jordan. Three people who had voted for Jordan in previous rounds switched their votes against him: Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., Marc Molinaro, R-N.Y., and Thomas Kean, R-N.J.

At this point, nine Republicans have emerged as official candidates to replace McCarthy, R-Calif., as House speaker.

WHY JORDAN COULDN’T GRAB THE SPEAKER GAVEL AFTER THREE FAILED BALLOTS

Republican Study Committee Chair Kevin Hern, R-Okla., was one of the first GOP lawmakers to put his hat in the ring on Friday afternoon. 

Retired Marine Corps Gen. Jack Bergman, R-Mich., told Fox News Digital that he was also officially entering the race after fielding calls from “across the spectrum” of the GOP asking him to run.

Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., who was named by GOP lawmakers on the House floor during Jordan’s bid, is also running for speaker, his office told Fox News Digital.

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., is also in the running, as well as Reps. Mike Johnson, R-La.; Austin Scott, R-Ga.; Pete Sessions, R-Texas; Dan Meuser, R-Penn.; and Gary Palmer, R-Ala.

Fox News’ Liz Elkind contributed to this report.