Here's how the news has developed. All times Eastern.
Oct 04, 2023, 2:13 PM EDT
Read Scalise's letter on running for speaker
Scalise made his case for why he should be the next House speaker in a letter to colleagues on Wednesday.
In it, he called the Republican conference a "family" as he recounted the support he received when he was shot during congressional baseball practice in 2017 and suffered life-threatening injuries.
"God already gave me another chance at life," he wrote. "I believe we were all put here for a purpose. This next chapter won't be easy, but I know what it takes to fight and I am prepared for the battles that lie ahead."
Biden: 'We need to change the poisonous atmosphere in Washington'
President Joe Biden weighed in for the first time on the ouster of McCarthy, calling on Congress to change the "poisonous atmosphere in Washington" and come together.
"More than anything we need to change the poisonous atmosphere in Washington. You know, we have strong disagreements, but we need to stop seeing each other as enemies. We need to talk to one another, listen to one another, work with one another. And we can do that," Biden urged while delivering remarks on student loans at the White House.
Biden said the GOP will need to "reorganize" and that it might "take some time" to select a new leader.
-ABC's Justin Gomez and Molly Nagle
Oct 04, 2023, 1:28 PM EDT
Scalise enters speaker's race
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise has officially entered the race to replace McCarthy.
The Louisiana Republican, in a lengthy letter to his colleagues on Wednesday, made a pitch for unity as he touted his work as the No. 2 House Republican.
"You know my leadership style I've displayed as your Majority Leader and Whip," he wrote. "I have a proven track record of bringing together the diverse array of viewpoints within our Conference to build consensus where others thought it impossible."
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise arrives for a House Republican party conference after Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy was ousted from the position of Speaker by a House vote of 216-210, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Oct. 3, 2023.
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
"Our strength as a Conference comes from our unity, and we have seen when we unite as a Conference, we can deliver wins for the American people," he wrote. "Now we need to take those unified positions and work to extract conservative wins from the Democrat Senate and White House by leveraging upcoming deadlines. While we need to be realistic about what can be achieved, if we stay united, we can preserve leverage for the House to secure tangible wins in our impending policy fights."
Oct 04, 2023, 11:40 AM EDT
Read Jordan's letter announcing bid: Time for GOP to 'come together'
Rep. Jim Jordan has sent a letter to colleagues announcing his speakership bid.
"We are at a critical crossroad in our nation's history," he wrote. "Now is the time for our Republican conference to come together to keep our promises to Americans."
