Biden Wants Republicanled House To Get Its 'act Together' Over Leadership

Trevor Honeycutt

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Joe Biden called lawmakers in the Republican-led House of Representatives to "rally" on Wednesday, saying the raging battle to determine the House leader is bad for the United States.

The race for congressional leadership began after Republicans won a majority in the November midterm elections on Wednesday, the second day after long-awaited leader Kevin McCarthy faced three failed votes earlier in the day. Hardliners in his party oppose McCarthy's bid to replace Democrat Nancy Pelosi as president.

"It's not pretty," Biden, a Democrat, told reporters at the White House. “This is not true. This is the United States of America and I hope you take charge.”

The White House is preparing to portray itself as focused on issues that matter to voters while House Republicans vie for leadership.

Biden said postponing the president's presidency for a second term could cause allies and enemies of the United States to question the restoration of American democracy in the wake of the January 2021, 2021 turmoil surrounding the Republican attack on the Capitol. . Former President Donald Trump tried to block Congressional approval of Biden's election.

On Tuesday, the House of Representatives failed, for the first time in 100 years, to elect a speaker on the first day of its session.

"What do you think it looks like in the rest of the world?" Biden asked. "We finally got out. We went through all this for the first time on January 6th."

Biden added that "the rest of the world is watching" and said he may be jeopardizing Congress' ability to govern, but not its ability. Biden's foreign policy has focused on rebuilding traditional US alliances to compete with a rising China and punish Russia for its aggression in Ukraine.

The president made the announcement during a visit to Kentucky to negotiate a bipartisan infrastructure investment deal with Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell. Democrats control the Senate, which passed a Biden-backed $1 trillion infrastructure bill in 2021 with bipartisan support.

(Reporting by Trevor Honeycutt; Editing by Will Dunham)