Republicans in the House of Representatives have now stumbled through a second day of stalemate, with GOP leader Kevin McCarthy still unable to win over his caucus in his quest to become speaker.
The GOP's inability to function until a speaker is chosen could have an impact on everyday Americans. If there is a natural disaster, an economic crisis or a military conflict, Congress may not be able to appropriate money.
If Congress doesn't raise the debt ceiling by the summer, the U.S. government will default on its debt payments, which could cause the economy to go into a tailspin.
According to analysts, a weak Republican speaker makes that outcome more likely, as whoever is chosen will not have the power to force a compromise with Democrats.
A five-year plan for food policy, agriculture, the environment and other matters is expected to be passed by Congress this year.
Lawmakers can't help their clients with important services until the House chooses a speaker.
Brendan Buck told Yahoo News that the House of Representatives is supposed to be the body closest to the people.
The House can't be expected to respond to their needs when it can't operate at all. The House has basic responsibilities, but Congress needs to act when things are urgent. We can't be counted on to solve problems and provide stability if we have a complete breakdown in the legislature.
There have been years of disagreements within the House GOP.
The GOP has been hobbled by a group that sees nothing better than nothing if it can't get what it wants. This group has sometimes wanted nothing.
The stalemate over the speakership is just the latest in a series of disagreements caused by the party's right wing.
House Republicans refused to raise the debt ceiling without concessions and caused stock sell-offs and economic tremors.
Republicans in the House and Senate led a campaign that never stood a chance of succeeding but resulted in a 16-day government shutdown.
The Speaker of the House quit his post after trying to lead the House GOP. McCarthy withdrew his name from consideration after it became clear he didn't have the votes. Paul Ryan was selected as a compromise candidate.
Ryan struggled with the demands of the position. Even though the GOP had control of both chambers of Congress and the White House, another three-day government shutdown occurred as Democrats engaged in hardball politics similar to what Republicans had done in the past.
The Republicans lost control of the house. Ryan left politics after being bruised and battered from trying to lead the House GOP.
McCarthy was the one to take it. McCarthy, long seen by his Republican colleagues as an amiable if limited figure, became GOP leader in a House run once again. He spoke of winning back the House by a comfortable margin in the upcoming elections, but was only able to get a slim majority.
For the past decade or more, the party has been on an unpredictable path. It's robust antigovernment wing has learned the politics of social media celebrity and TV fame from former President Donald Trump, but at times it can't even articulate its demands.
The GOP has libertarians. Ronald Reagan stated in his 1981 inaugural address that government is not the solution to our problem. Reagan's Republicans were interested in governing and making compromises with Democrats.
A new generation of Republicans took control after Democrats regained the White House. He said he wanted to shrink the government to the point where he could drown it in the bathtub.
According to a senior fellow at the New America Foundation, the GOP has been antigovernment for a long time. It's difficult to lead an anti-system party when you're part of the system.
There are some possible solutions to the problem of extremists. Voters rejected right-wing radicalism in many races for the House, Senate and statehouses in the next election. If the GOP continues on its current trajectory, and voters continue to punish it for that, it's more likely that the party will need to moderate its stance.
Representatives could be more responsive to the will of voters if certain structural changes are made. One new way of electing members of Congress and statewide officers is to get rid of party primaries.
In Alaska, anyone can run in a single primary, in which the top five vote getters advance to the fall election, in which the winner must receive at least 50% of the vote.
Eliminating party primaries gives control of the process to a small group of hard-line voters. Only 10% of eligible voters cast ballots in party primaries and only one candidate can emerge from each party's primary.
By the time a large group of voters show up in the fall election to choose a winner, the choices are limited to two candidates who have secured their party's primary by catering to its most extreme members.
Moderate, compromise-minded politicians can be competitive if the top five vote getters are promoted to the fall general election. Variations of this reform have been adopted in Maine, Colorado, Washington state and Utah.
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