Republicans appear no closer to choosing a new leader after candidate forum

House Republicans remained unable to agree on who should be the next speaker, one week after Speaker Kevin McCarthy was removed, with lawmakers unable to coalesce around a new leader in a stalemate that threatens to keep Congress partly shuttered indefinitely.

On Tuesday evening, two leading contenders for the gavel, Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, outlined their visions behind closed doors at a lengthy candidate forum. Rep. Mike Garcia, of California, estimated that around 30-40 House Republicans asked questions of the two during the forum.But Jordan and Scalise appeared to be splitting the vote among their Republican colleagues.

Rep. Thomas Massie, of Kentucky, said that he asked both candidates what they would do on the eve of November 17, when the current continuing resolution to fund the government expires. He said Jordan told members he would act before the deadline and push a long-term continuing resolution that would trigger a 1% cut in funding later.