Rep. Susan Wild isn't laughing over the gridlock in the House

WASHINGTON — It's the second day of the 118th Congress, and Rep. Susan Wild is worried about the next two years.

Less than 24 hours earlier, the House failed to elect a speaker on the first ballot. Republicans hold a slim majority in the House, but 20 members of the Freedom Caucus refused to back Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).

• Rep. Susan Wild said she is concerned what the gridlock over the speaker vote foretells for the 118th Congress
• Even if Republicans elect a speaker, the divide within their party could limit what Congress can accomplish, she said
• Members can't be sworn in or assigned to committees until a speaker is elected

By withholding their support, the breakaway Republicans ground everything in the chamber to a halt. Until a speaker is named, no other business can come before the House.

Some Democrats, freshly removed from power, reveled in the chaos facing their rivals, Wild said. But not her.

"It causes me a lot of concern about how anything gets done. Is this just going to be two years of paralysis, which is a horrifying thought," said Wild, a Democrat who is still waiting to be sworn into her third full term representing the Lehigh Valley.

Electing a speaker in an era of modern politics should be the easy part. Accomplishing anything, such as passing laws and setting policy, is far harder. Even if McCarthy finds the 16 votes he needs, it doesn't bode well for his ability to shepherd legislation through Congress.

"Let's assume that he gets there. He starts off as an incredibly weakened speaker. How can you command respect?" Wild asked. "The fact of the matter is he's given so many concessions to the holdouts, it already speaks poorly of his ability to lead."

Even if a compromise candidate emerges — her dog Zoey announced her own bid for the seat on Twitter, for what it's worth — the new speaker would still face the same divide. Unless Republicans and Democrats begin a new age of bipartisanship, the numbers may prevent Congress from accomplishing much of anything.

The deadlock comes with real repercussions, Wild said. If no speaker is elected and members aren't sworn in, representatives and their staff stop getting paid on Jan. 13, she said. It would become difficult for constituents to receive services, too.

"Maybe that will incentivize people to come together," Wild said.

Ahead of the second day of voting, Wild said she had no idea how the speaker situation would play out.

"Your guess is as good as mine," she said.

During a meeting of the Democratic caucus Wednesday morning, leadership didn't mention any Republicans reaching out for a bipartisan deal to end the stalemate, she said. Wild found it unlikely Democrats would support a Republican speaker or that any members of the GOP would vote for Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic Minority Leader.

Wild said she's eager to get to work, but what that work entails isn't yet clear. Representatives can't be assigned to committees until a speaker is named. Among her assignments last session was serving on the Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Over the holidays, Wild and other committee members traveled to Bahrain, Greece, Kuwait and Qatar. There, they visited troops over Christmas to show their appreciation. They also met with embassy staff and foreign leaders.

The trip offered a welcome revelation, Wild said. Another country, whom she would not name for security reasons, is helping evacuate American allies from Afghanistan. When the US pulled out in 2021, many of the interpreters, guides and others who assisted the US were unable to leave the country. These people have been targeted by the Taliban, and it's been a high priority to get them to safety, she said.

"It's still a very functioning program through back channels, which is really good to know. There wasn't a single one of us on the trip who was aware of that until we were there," Wild said.