With House Republicans repeatedly failing to elect a House speaker after retaking the majority this week, the chamber has been at a standstill. Until a speaker is chosen, members cannot be sworn in and committee work won't start. 

If or when Republicans stop infighting and the House is operating properly, Kentucky Republican James Comer, who represents the state's 1st Congressional District, is set to become chairman of the high-profile House Committee on Oversight and Reform.

What You Need To Know

  • With House Republicans repeatedly failing to elect a House speaker after retaking the majority this week, the chamber has been at a standstill.

  • Kentucky Republican James Comer, who represents the state's 1st Congressional District, is set to become chairman of the high-profile House Committee on Oversight and Reform

  • If or when Republicans stop infighting and the House is operating properly, GOP Kentucky James Comer who represents the 1st Congressional District will become chairman of the high-profile House Committee on Oversight and Reform

  • Comer is taking the bad with the good and ultimately said this is a learning experience for his party as they move forward and learn how to work with a slim majority

Spectrum News sat down with Comer on Thursday to discuss where California Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s bid for speaker stands and what the holdup means for the Republican party going forward.

“What’s happening now is going to have to happen a lot throughout the next few years. But hopefully, we’ll get it done before the deadline,” Comer said. 

House Republicans missed their first deadline by failing to elect a speaker when the new session of Congress began Tuesday. Comer supports McCarthy and says he is as “frustrated as the average American watching this” all unfold.

“I think some of the 20 have taken advantage of the situation. And I think they continue to move the goalpost," Comer told Spectrum News.

"And I like those guys they are on my committee but at the end of the day this should have been resolved,” he added.

Moving the goalpost is a concern Democrats have voiced as well. Some Republicans, meanwhile, fear McCarthy could make too many concessions in this process, hampering how the house functions.

Comer says that he was a part of the negotiations in the early stages.

“I think in the beginning it was some rules change packages. Now we are into specific committee assignments and potential subcommittee gavels and things like that,” Comer explained. 

But Comer is taking the bad with the good and ultimately said this is a learning experience for his party as they move forward and learn how to work with a slim majority.

When asked what the progress is like and what if the party is looking at other names other than McCarthy at this point, Comer said: “Well at this point, it’s still Kevin McCarthy again. [...] There aren’t a lot of people stepping up to volunteer for the job." 

"If we had a 250 majority. Then I think there would be a lot of people in the mix but with 222 where you can only lose four votes. There aren’t a lot of people who have the ability to do that or the desire to do that,” Comer told Spectrum News. 

As the House moved to the 10th vote after McCarthy failed to secure the speakership, national security concerns continued to rise. 

As of late Thursday evening, everyone voting is a member-elect because none of them can be sworn in until a speaker of the House is chosen. 

Each of the Republicans from Kentucky has repeatedly voted for McCarthy for House Speaker except Rep.-elect Morgan McGarvey, the only Democrat in the delegation. He has voted for Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, a Democrat from New York.