President Grassley
You heard me right…and depending on how badly Republicans in the U.S. House handle things starting when they convene tomorrow, it could happen.
Fox News’ superb senior congressional correspondent Chad Pergram shared this scenario with his audience, and it bears repeating.
We’ve talked before about the challenge Republicans may have in selecting a Speaker of the House. It’s a new Congress starting tomorrow, and Mike Johnson has to win the post again by majority vote of those in the chamber. Given how close the split is between Republicans and Democrats, it essentially means that if all Democrats vote as a bloc, he needs every Republican but one to be on his side in order to win. And as we learned when the last Congress started, it might mean there is no Speaker for a period of time, perhaps weeks.
On Monday, the Senate will formally count the Electoral College votes. The House then has to approve of the tally, as well. But if there’s no Speaker, no action can take place in the House, even that.
That takes us to January 20, inauguration day. Presume that the House is still without a Speaker by then. With no certification of the Electoral College votes, Donald Trump cannot become president. But that doesn’t mean Joe Biden hangs around; the Constitution specifically says his term expires at noon Washington, D.C. time.
So if there’s no president, the vice-president typically would step in…but Kamala Harris’ term also expires at noon on January 20.
And the Constitution provides that if there is no president, and no vice-president, then the Speaker of the House becomes president. But wait—we’re in this mess because there was no Speaker. So then what?
Enter the senior senator from the state of Iowa, who is in line to return to the post of Senate President Pro Tem as the ranking member of the majority party. He’d be third in the line of succession…and literally would take the oath of office as president on January 20 should there not be a Speaker of House named.
That’s crazy, you might say. Sure…just as crazy as a president returning for a second non-consecutive term, after surviving two assassination attempts and a felony conviction in court during the campaign.
