Moderate House Democrats propose expanding temporary speaker's powers amidst leadership stalemate

Moderate House Democrats, members of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, have proposed expanding the powers of Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry until a new speaker is elected. Their proposal includes allowing McHenry to bring specific legislation to the House floor, such as emergency foreign aid for Ukraine and Israel, an extension of the continuing resolution to fund the government, and committee work and consideration of spending bills. The Democrats also suggested renewing the expansion of authorities every 15 days. The measure would likely require a bipartisan vote, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has yet to weigh in on the proposal.