NM congressional leaders in limbo as House fails to elect new speaker
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Tuesday was expected to mark the first day of the 118th U.S. Congress.
Reps. Melanie Stansbury and Teresa Leger Fernandez will be joined by newly-elected Rep. Gabe Vasquez, who won the 2nd Congressional District seat from former Republican Rep. Yvette Herrell. All three tweeted out pictures from Capitol Hill Tuesday morning.
However, the new members of Congress cannot be sworn in until the House elects a new speaker.
Stansbury said Tuesday’s failures to elect a speaker of the House caused her concern.
“It’s chaotic on the other side of the aisle,” Stansbury said. “You know, it makes me sad, because at the end of the day, our job is to serve the people of New Mexico and Americans, and to ensure that we have strong, bipartisan leadership that represents our people.”
Stansbury said she worries this may foreshadow what’s to come.
“I hope for our country and for our communities, that this is not what we can expect this Congress,” she said. “Unfortunately, as we’ve seen, there is a lot of chaotic energy on the opposite side of the aisle right now, and it’s really undermined our basic Democratic institutions.”
The House has adjourned until Wednesday at noon.