The Biden campaign on Friday seized on infighting among House Republicans that has left the chamber rudderless to draw a contrast with President Biden’s focus on foreign policy in Israel and Ukraine.
“MAGA House Republicans’ self-inflicted chaos and chronic inability to govern stands in stark contrast to President Biden’s strong and steady leadership at this critical moment for global security,” Biden campaign spokesperson Ammar Moussa said in a statement.
“It is embarrassing that MAGA House Republicans continue to let the petty sniping and infighting in their own party prevent them from working with the president on bipartisan national security priorities,” Moussa added. “Voters will remember how when world events called for American leadership, President Biden stepped up and MAGA House Republicans humiliated themselves and failed the American people.”
The House has been without a Speaker for more than two weeks since Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was ousted from the role when eight Republicans, led by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), joined with Democrats to remove McCarthy.
Reps. Steve Scalise (R-La.) and Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) have since both been nominated as Speaker by the conference and failed to rally enough support to win the gavel. Several Republicans in the House are now running for the position, with a forum scheduled for early next week to determine the conference’s next choice for the job.
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Biden and his aides have largely stayed out of the chaos playing out in the House, declining to weigh in on the scramble over who will be the next Speaker and deferring to lawmakers about what comes next.
But White House and campaign aides have in recent days been increasingly willing to draw attention to the dysfunction of House Republicans, arguing voters will ultimately reward Biden for focusing on the public’s priorities while the opposing party squabbles.
Biden traveled to Israel on Wednesday in the aftermath of terrorist attacks there, and on Thursday he delivered a primetime speech making the case for continued U.S. support of Israel and Ukraine amid their respective conflicts with Hamas and Russia.
“House Republicans need to end their chaotic infighting and their competitions to out-extreme one another, and instead join President Biden in working on urgent priorities for American families shared by both parties in Congress,” White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said Friday.