By Daniella Diaz and Anthony Adragna

With assists from POLITICO’s Congress team

None of the dozen-plus members who raised objections to Majority Leader Steve Scalise after Wednesday’s nomination vote indicated they had changed their minds. | Francis Chung/POLITICO

HE STILL DOESN’T HAVE THE VOTES

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise might have won the House GOP’s nomination to serve as Speaker. But a growing number of members say he doesn’t have the 217 votes he needs to win the gavel on the floor — and some are casting serious doubt on whether he can ever get there.

The GOP conference met Thursday afternoon for almost three hours, with a majority of the members emerging frustrated, disillusioned and ready to turn to other options.

None of the dozen-plus members who raised objections to Scalise after Wednesday’s nomination vote indicated they had changed their minds. In fact, Scalise lost support Thursday, with Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) reversing course after previously saying she’d back the Louisianan.

Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), the House Freedom Caucus chair, stopped short of calling on Scalise to drop out but warned, “I don’t see a path for Steve to get to 217.” Rep. Greg Murphy (R-N.C.) posted to X, “I love Steve, but if the votes are not there, let’s move on.”

The way forward for the House GOP continues to be murky. Scalise has not shown any interest in taking his fight to the floor the same way former Speaker Kevin McCarthy did in January. Instead, he’s spending the evening meeting with small groups of members in hopes of moving the needle in his direction. Members have been told there could be another Republican conference meeting later Thursday night.

Hopes that any further talks will be fruitful are fading.

“In terms of our ability to advance a candidate to become the 56th speaker I don't see the light at the end of that tunnel,” Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.) told reporters after the GOP conference meeting. “That’s a mirage right now.”

Plan B: Some Republicans are saying the quiet part out loud: Is it time to rally behind another candidate for speaker? Or is it time to empower the acting speaker pro tempore, Patrick McHenry?

Many conservative members continued to profess their support for Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who fell short to Scalise in Wednesday’s nomination vote and is now publicly backing Scalise. Others are pining for another candidate to step forward, one wholly outside the current GOP leadership ranks.

But with pressing issues for Congress to address — including a Nov. 17 government funding deadline and a potential aid package for Israel — talk of a temporary arrangement that would allow the House to get back to business is heating up.

“If we are still at [loggerheads], in short order, that's going to have to be something that is discussed,” Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) told Huddle, on the possibility of granting McHenry expanded powers.

How that could go: McHenry was chosen to step in as acting speaker by McCarthy ahead of last week’s booting, but — as we discussed last week — his powers are limited: McHenry is claiming he can only facilitate a new speaker’s election.

Some Republicans are discussing moving to give McHenry expanded abilities to temporarily run the chamber as the GOP infighting drags on and pressure mounts for the House to start governing again.

But even that is a point of contention inside the House GOP. Some conservatives are wary of McHenry, a close McCarthy ally, and others say they don’t want to ease the pressure to pick a new permanent speaker.

"The solution is not added powers for the speaker pro tem,” said Rep. Mark Alford (R-Mo.). “The solution is getting a speaker to the floor.”

VIBE CHECK: Lots of Republicans shared their grievances with Thursday’s conference meeting and how long it’s taking for them to elect a new speaker. Here are a few of the spicier quotes:

• Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.): “This is petty. This is petty. And I’m getting frickin’ tired of it.”
• Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas): “If you see smoke, it’s not a speaker. Someone just set the place on fire.” (h/t Ali Vitali)
• Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.): "I don't know that Mother Teresa could walk in there and get to 217." (h/t Ben Jacobs)
• Rep. David Joyce (R-Ohio), singing on his way in: “Fly me to the moon — so I can get the hell out of here.”

— Daniella Diaz and Anthony Adragna, with assist from Katherine Tully-McManus

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GOOD EVENING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Thursday, Oct. 12, where we are on Day 9 without an elected speaker of the House.

HEADS UP

U.S. Capitol Police said in a Thursday evening statement they are planning on “enhancing” security around the complex Friday. Although there are no specific threats directed at the Capitol, Hill police said, they cited an abundance of caution around reported calls from Hamas for a “day of rage.”

— Nicholas Wu

CENSURE WARS: EPISODE II 

As House Republicans threaten to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) for her outspoken criticism of Israel, House Democrats are signaling they could respond in kind against Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.).

Sound familiar? Both parties ended up in a similar censure cold war in July, when lawmakers had also threatened to bring up dueling formal reprimands. Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.) had introduced a censure resolution against Greene in July for the firebrand conservative’s inflammatory rhetoric, shortly after Republicans voted to censure Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.).

Now Balint said she is prepared to revive her own censure resolution in light of the move against Tlaib, though she said in a brief interview that she would consult with party leadership first. Censure measures can be raised as privileged business, meaning they can come up on the House floor through a fast-track process that bypasses committees.

Tlaib, Congress’s only Palestinian-American, has been under intense scrutiny following Saturday’s attack against Israel. She has decried Hamas’ actions as “war crimes” while saying the same about Israel’s treatment of Palestinian civilians.

“I know that so many people in the caucus are just outraged that at this moment they would think to bring a censure resolution against her,” she said. “She is the only Palestinian member of Congress right now. She's holding so much deep, generational pain, It's just cruel, honestly.”

Of course, neither side can do much right now without a speaker, anyway.

— Nicholas Wu

THE ALLIANCE TO FIX CONGRESS

Two leading groups in the long slog to make Congress a more effective and transparent body are joining forces. The team behind Demand Progress’ advocacy on congressional matters are joining POPVOX Foundation next week. Daniel Schuman, Taylor Swift (not that one), Chris Nehls and Gabriela Schneider will join the nonprofit founded by Marci Harris which is centered on supporting government capacity, innovation and expanding public engagement.

The move brings together expertise and influence from two groups that have long been allied in advocating for more congressional capacity and transparency. Schuman and Harris have worked for years to push for the creation of the Select Committee on Modernization of Congress and the implementation of its recommendations, as well as building diverse pipelines for the next generation of Hill staff leaders.

The First Branch Forecast newsletter, which dives deep into the legislative branch operations, will also be making the move to the POPVOX Foundation after a few weeks of hiatus during the transition. Advocacy from the First Branch group, which has pushed for expanded Legislative Branch appropriations and greater transparency from congressional agencies, will also continue under the POPVOX Foundation umbrella.

— Katherine Tully-McManus

U.S. Capitol Police are investigating the alleged robbery of a sign signaling support for Israel from outside Rep. Roger Williams’ (R-Texas) office. “Last night, someone came to my D.C. office and removed my Stand With Israel sign. Let me be clear, this is not just about a stolen sign, this is about uniting as a country to stand alongside our closest ally in a fight against hate and evil,” Rogers said in a statement to Huddle. Photo

If you missed it, like us, George Clooney is working on a documentary about the sexual abuse scandal involving former Ohio State University athletics doctor Richard Strauss when Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) was a coach in the wrestling program. A spokesperson for HBO, which is slated to air the program, declined further comment on a release date.

Georgia man spotted in Canadian tuxedo.

Virginia Foxx gonna Virginia Foxx.

GO INSIDE THE CAPITOL DOME: From the outset, POLITICO has been your eyes and ears on Capitol Hill, providing the most thorough Congress coverage — from political characters and emerging leaders to leadership squabbles and policy nuggets during committee markups and hearings. We're stepping up our game to ensure you’re fully informed on every key detail inside the Capitol Dome, all day, every day. Start your day with Playbook AM, refuel at midday with our Playbook PM halftime report and enrich your evening discussions with Huddle. Plus, stay updated with real-time buzz all day through our brand new Inside Congress Live feature. Learn more and subscribe here.

QUICK LINKS 

Comms director leaves after foreign policy uproar, from Andy Gottlieb at Legistorm

Scalise Plans Sonoma Wine Fundraiser as His Speaker Bid Teeters, from Kate Ackley at Bloomberg Government

Capitol Police discriminated against Black K-9 trainer, congressional labor office finds, from Chris Marquette at Roll Call

TRANSITIONS 

Shalini Avasarala is joining Weber Shandwick as manager of client experience/media relations. She previously was press secretary for Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.).

Elliott Guffin is now director of federal affairs for Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin. He previously was chief of staff for Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.).

TOMORROW IN CONGRESS

The House is ??? 

The Senate is out.

THURSDAY AROUND THE HILL

*crickets*

WEDNESDAY’S ANSWER: Rich Luchette correctly answered that Alben Barkley was the last Democratic vice president to not go on and become the party's nominee for president.

TODAY’S QUESTION from Rich: Which Hall of Famer retired as the NFL's all-time record holder for receptions, yards, and touchdowns before he served in the U.S. House?

The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your answers to [email protected].

GET HUDDLE emailed to your phone each evening.

Follow Daniella on X at @DaniellaMicaela.

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