US: House adjourns, McCarthy loses 11th Speaker vote

Republicans in the US House of Representatives rejected Kevin McCarthy's speakership yet again in his latest bid on Thursday. On the third day of voting, this is the 11th attempt to elect him that got failed.

According to reports, the House had not witnessed such a situation since the Civil War era.

After the turmoil, the lawmakers adjourned and will reconvene on Friday.

McCarthy's opponents say that they do not trust him to fight for the deep spending cuts and other restrictions they want to impose on President Joe Biden and the Democratic-controlled Senate, Reuters reported.

But some Republicans held out hope of an agreement between the California Republican and at least some of the 20 hardline conservatives who have opposed his candidacy in ballot after ballot, it added.

Republican Representative Brain Fitzpatrick said that among other things, a possible agreement would allow for a vote on term limits for members of Congress.

In the November midterm elections, Republicans had won only the House majority by a slim margin.

It means that McCarthy cannot afford to lose the support of more than four Republicans. Meanwhile, the minority Democrats voted for their leader New York's Hakeem Jeffries.

McCarthy is backed by former President Donald Trump. Around 200 Republicans have backed McCarthy in each of the votes that was held this week. Only a few 10 per cent of the Republicans have voted against him but they are enough to deny him the 218 votes needed to succeed Democrat Nancy Pelosi.

Florida Republican rebel Matt Gaetz cast a protest ballot for Trump to serve the role. 

According to reports, the Speaker of the House is the second in line to the presidency, after Vice President Kamala Harris. 

They set the agenda in the House, and no legislative business is conducted there without them.