Minnesota U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips landed a sound bite Friday night as he took the House floor following a dramatic skirmish among Republicans during Kevin McCarthy's prolonged fight to be speaker.
"Madam clerk, I rise to say, Wow," Phillips said, beginning to chuckle as a large group of House colleagues, including many Republicans, stood to applaud, though not several members of Democratic leadership sitting around Phillips.
Phillips had been tapped to nominate Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader who for most of the rounds of balloting led McCarthy as the Republican leader struggled to win over a recalcitrant bloc of right-wing conservatives.
That came to a head on the 14th ballot, when McCarthy, prepared to finally win, lost again. He strode across the House floor to confront Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, a ringleader of the holdouts. Another Minnesota lawmaker and a member of Republican leadership who backed McCarthy, Rep. Tom Emmer, was in the thick of that scene, seated directly next to Gaetz.
As McCarthy turned to walk away, Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama lunged toward Gaetz and was physically restrained by another colleague.
While Phillips drew laughs a few minutes later with his exclamation, he was quick to chide Republicans for the protracted leadership fight, which has delayed the swearing-in of all 435 House members. McCarthy finally clinched it a bit later, on the 15th ballot.
Phillips charged that the delay has damaged the ability of congressional offices to deliver constituent services.
"Americans are unhappy with the nonsense and dysfunction playing out on this floor," Phillips said.
