The House of Representatives Republican conference is scheduled to meet on Wednesday to begin debating who should be their next choice for Speaker of the House in the aftermath of Kevin McCarthy’s removal from the office last week. Currently two Republicans are vying for the support: Jim Jordan (OH), a founding member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus who has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump, and Steve Scalise (LA), current House Majority Leader. Kevin Hern (OK) is also rumored to be entering the race. The conference is expected to debate the choice for speaker in conjunction with how that person and the Republican conference should deal with government funding issues and the upcoming expiration of funding on Nov. 17. Members of the Republican conference have already voiced their refusal to support any candidate without a commitment on spending.

The attack on Israel and the turmoil in the Middle East is adding pressure to resolve the speaker issue quickly. Until a speaker is chosen by the House of Representatives, legislation cannot advance in the House, including any military funding support needed to aid Israel.