A pro-crime lawmaker remains interim speaker of the United States House when the front-runner lost in the first round of voting.

North Carolina Representative Patrick McHenry, chairman of the US House Financial Services Committee and a crypto supporter in Congress, is still in the third most powerful role in government after one of his Republican colleagues failed to get enough votes.

In an Oct. 17 vote with members of the U.S. House of Representatives, no speaker candidate won the majority needed to secure the seat. Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, the Republican nominee for speaker, received 200 votes — 217 short of the 217 needed to win.

All 212 Democratic members of the House voted for Minority Leader Hakim Jeffries, while other Republican lawmakers voted for Reps. Steve Scalise, Kevin McCarthy, Tom Emmer, Tom Cole, Thomas Massey and Mike Garcia, as well as former New York Rep. Lee. According to House rules, Zeldin does not have to be a member of Congress to serve as Speaker.

Rep. McHenry, who has served as interim speaker since Republicans voted to oust McCarthy on Oct. 4, currently has no authority to move legislation forward in the House without the speaker's vote. For the first time in US history, half of the federal government's legislature is paralyzed, unable to move forward with crypto-related bills.

Many pro-Creto users on social media have called on lawmakers to make McHenry the next speaker — an outcome that would require all Republicans in the House to rally behind one nominee. The Speaker of the House is second in the country's presidential race, behind US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. However, some experts say the line of succession does not apply to an interim speaker like McHenry.

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At the time of publication, it was unclear when McHenry planned to call for a second vote. Many have criticized Jordan for repeating lies in support of former President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, but he remains the front-runner with a Republican majority in the House and Democrats united behind Jeffries.

McHenry chaired the House Financial Services Committee as lawmakers voted for crypto bills, including the 21st Century Financial Innovation and Technology Act, the Blockchain Regulatory Verification Act, the Payments Transparency Stablecoins Act and the Protect Your Coins Act. While the legislation is expected to head to the House floor for a full vote, the situation with the Speaker makes that impossible in the near future.

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