Haley suggests no pay for House GOP until they pick a speaker: 'Get us a leader'

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley on Friday suggested that House Republicans do not need to receive pay until they select a new Speaker of the House.

The Republican conference on Friday backed Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan in a narrow vote over Georgia Republican Rep. Austin Scott but has not yet brought his nomination up for a floor vote. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise withdrew his candidacy earlier this week after defeating Jordan in the conference vote but failing shore up sufficient support for a floor vote.

Haley on Friday urged Republicans to "get it together. Get us a leader," according to video footage from Forbes. 

"They don't need to leave until they fix this. They don't need to get paid until they fix this," she added. "What I will remind my fellow Republicans is, you don’t fix Democrat chaos with Republican chaos."

Jordan will likely spend much of the weekend attempting to woo his detractors in the wake of a test vote to see how he would perform on the House floor. That tally was 152-55, meaning Jordan was well shy of the necessary support to become Speaker.

Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy lost his post last week after Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz triggered a successful motion to vacate the chair. His ouster was the first time in U.S. history that the chamber removed its speaker. 

There is likely little prospect of lawmakers going unpaid in the short term, per Haley's suggestion. Congress recently passed a continuing resolution, however, to fund the government until mid-November. Should that deadline pass without the selection of a new House Speaker and the passage of a federal budget, the government will shut down.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.