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U.S. NEWS Friday 6 January 2023

U.S. House has no members, no rules as speaker race drags on

By MARY CLARE JALONICK “Madam speaker,” Repub-
Associated Press lican Chip Roy of Texas said
WASHINGTON (AP) — As at one point, addressing
Republicans continue to the rostrum as members
squabble over who will be usually do, before correct-
the next speaker, there are ing himself. “Madam clerk,”
essentially no members in he amended.
the U.S. House of Repre- Off the floor, members
sentatives only members- are operating under the
elect. Without a speaker, rules for the last Congress
none of the them can be they think. No one really
sworn in, and the 118th seems to know, and there
Congress can’t convene are concerns about what
or vote on any rules. Par- would happen if the stale-
liamentary procedure has mate were to last until mid-
been jettisoned in favor of January, when paychecks
controlled chaos. Members are expected. Some staff
of both parties are unsure are in limbo only provision-
whether they can call votes ally employed if they are
or make motions on the new hires or switching jobs.
floor because there is no Republican Tom Cole of
speaker to rule on their re- Oklahoma, the incoming
quests. Committees can’t chairman of the House
be formed and legislation House staff consult books in the House chamber as the House meets for a second day to elect a Rules Committee, said
can’t be passed. speaker and convene the 118th Congress in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023. that members-elect were
“I don’t know what my sta- Associated Press operating under the rules
tus is,” said Democrat Ted in history if Republicans vote after vote, hour after time that had happened in of the previous Congress,
Lieu of California. “I don’t are able to find a way for- hour, negotiating, gossip- a century. In 1923, the pro- when Democrats were in
know if I have health care, ward this week and elect ing and wondering what cess of selecting a speaker control. But he added: “I
I don’t know if my staff get a new speaker. While that comes next. Some relaxed lasted for three days. In don’t know if that’s written
paid. We’re looking at all remains a strong possibility, with books or newspapers, 1855, it dragged on for two down.” Without a speaker,
of that now because this a resolution to the stand- or scrolled their phones. months, with 133 ballots. “there’s a lot we can’t do,”
hasn’t happened for 100 off seemed distant on Some took photos and self- “It’s a very strange limbo,” Cole said. Staff and mem-
years.” Wednesday, as Republican ies, a practice that is usu- said Democrat Madeleine bers will be paid, he said,
Former Rep. Billy Long of Kevin McCarthy of Califor- ally forbidden by the rules. Dean of Pennsylvania, “but at some point it shuts
Missouri, who just retired, nia lost a second day of Others still had children who had hoped her visiting off.” As the hours ticked by,
has been tweeting about roll call votes on the floor. with them in the chamber, grandchildren would get members started to ponder
what he calls “Bizaroland.” Supporters and opponents a holdover from Tuesday’s to see her sworn in on Tues- what-if scenarios. Lieu said
At one point he openly all appeared dug in. The proceedings when family day. “We are operating by he worried that lawmakers
wondered in his Twitter bio uncertainty added to the often accompany mem- precedent.” aren’t able to look at clas-
whether he was still a con- surreal, looser-than usual bers to watch them be On the House floor, clerk sified documents important
gressman (he isn’t). atmosphere on the House sworn in. Only they weren’t Cheryl Johnson is holding to national security, and
The rule-less, member-less floor Wednesday as mem- sworn in on the first day of the gavel, not the Republi- wouldn’t be able to re-
House may only be a blip bers sat in their seats for the new Congress -- the first can majority. spond to a world crisis. q

Survey: 3.3 million U.S. adults displaced by natural disasters

By MIKE SCHNEIDER Some states were impact- or about 1 in 17 adult resi- by Hurricanes Ian and Ni- to their homes, according
Associated Press ed more than others. In Flor- dents, were displaced in cole in the fall. More than to the survey.
More than 1.3% of the adult ida, nearly 1 million people, a state that was ravaged 409,000 people or almost The demographic makeup
population in the U.S. was 1 in 8 residents were dis- of the displaced didn’t de-
displaced by natural di- placed in Louisiana, which viate much from the over-
sasters in the past year, had a comparatively calm all race and ethnic back-
with hurricanes responsible hurricane season in 2022 ground of the U.S. popula-
for more than half of the even though residents still tion, but they tended to be
forced relocations, ac- were dealing with the dev- poorer. About 22% of the
cording to first-of-its-kind astating impacts from Hurri- displaced adults reported
survey results from the U.S. cane Ida the previous year. having a household in-
Census Bureau. Among the states with low- come of less than $25,000
The Household Pulse Survey est rates of the adult pop- a year, compared to 17.4%
results said that 3.3 million ulation being displaced for the overall U.S. popula-
U.S. adults were displaced by disasters were Indiana, tion.
by either hurricanes, floods, Maine, North Dakota, Ohio The Census Bureau sent
fires, tornados or other di- and Oklahoma. invitations to more than 1
sasters. The two-year-old Of the 3.3 million displaced million households to par-
online survey asked for the adults, more than a third ticipate in the experimen-
first time about displace- People walk by debris that overflowed from San Lorenzo River were out of their homes for tal survey and collected a
ment from natural disasters in Santa Cruz, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023. less than a week. About 1 in total of 70,685 responses in
in results released Thursday. Associated Press 6 residents never returned mid-December.q