South Florida representatives weigh in on House speaker stalemate

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The failed votes to elect a new House speaker in Washington has some Florida Congress members weighing in on the stalemate.

“Nobody should not pretend there are people with personal issues,” U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla. said. “I always tell people, we sit down at Thanksgiving with our own flesh and blood, and we don’t get along with our blood sometimes.”

Mast represents St. Lucie, Martin and the northeast portion of Palm Beach counties.

“We’re not even sworn in yet as the new class of congressmen,” he said. “So, until that happens, there’s no official work getting done.”

Newly elected Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., whose district includes Boca Raton, has yet to be sworn in and has turned to Twitter.

“I only brought three days of clothes,” he tweeted Wednesday.

Moskowitz said while many Democrats are talking across the aisle with Republicans, it will be the Republicans to figure it out with their slim majority.

“As an emergency management director, I know a disaster when I see one,” Moskowitz tweeted Tuesday.

Mast, who said he still supports Kevin McCarthy, said part of the problem is a desire among some Republicans to reign in the power of the speaker.

“We are working on decentralizing the office of the speaker of the House of Representatives,” Mast said.