Julie Tsirkin is a correspondent covering Capitol Hill.
The global crisis unfolding in Israel is putting renewed scrutiny on Congress, which has been without a permanent House speaker since Kevin McCarthy was ousted last week. Hamas on Saturday launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, leaving hundreds dead and escalating a decades-long conflict in the region. President Joe Biden on Saturday said that U.S. support for Israel is ironclad. But as an unelected Speaker Pro Tempore, Rep. Patrick McHenry is effectively powerless on the matter.
But without a permanent House Speaker, the legislation can’t be brought to the House floor. And the Senate is out next week with no current plans to come back early. Ok, but can McHenry even get a classified briefing? He does have some level of security clearance because of his role as Chair of the Financial Services Committee. But this is different than the kind of classified intelligence the Gang of Eight typically receives.
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