Patrick McHenry

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By Bernd Debusmann Jr Bbc News , Washington

Republican Congressman Steve Scalise has dropped out of The Race to become Speaker of The House just A Day after his party nominated him.

Mr Scalise, 58, had struggled to gain enough votes to secure an overall majority in The Chamber .

The Announcement came after a last-minute meeting of Republicans in The House of Representatives on Thursday.

It is unclear who The Party will now nominate for The Position .

Speaking to reporters following The Meeting , Mr Scalise said that " we have to have everybody put their agendas on the side and Focus On what This Country needs".

" This House of Representatives needs a Speaker and we need to open up The House again. But clearly, not everybody is there. And there's still schisms that have to get resolved, " He Said .

Despite defeating right-wing rival Jim Jordan in a Secret Ballot on Wednesday, Mr Scalise faced growing dissention from rank-and-file Republicans.

Efforts to sway them enough to gain the 217 votes he needed to secure a win as Speaker were unsuccessful on Thursday.

In his remarks on Thursday night, Mr Scalise acknowledged that " it wasn't going to happen".

Compared to Mr Jordan, Mr Scalise was considered a more traditional candidate in The Race . He worked His Way up through the Republican Party 's leadership, building a reputation as an effective legislator and fundraiser along The Way .

Until a Speaker is chosen, The House of Representatives is unable to pass any bills or approve White House requests for emergency Aid - including for Israel.

Additionally, it means that Congress is unable to pass any spending bills that would allow the government to avoid a potential shutdown in mid-November.

Before Mr Scalise's withdrawal from The Race , House Republicans had made A Number of proposals to end the turmoil on Capitol Hill .

One option would see The House 's Acting Speaker , Patrick Mchenry , given additional powers for a temporary period that would allow The Chamber to function, and, crucially, avoid a government shutdown.

Doing so, however, would require opposition Democrats to cooperate. Lawmakers on Thursday were split about whether The Move would be a viable solution.

A second option would see Democrats come together with Republicans to successfully elect a consensus candidate.

Some Democrats have also suggested that some Republicans could cross the aisle to vote for Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to become Speaker - although that option is seen as a long-shot by many on Capitol Hill .

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Source of news: bbc.com