New Speaker Johnson projects unity, expects 'aggressive' schedule

House Republicans are taking a break from the closed-door meeting for the next few hours. They are expected to return at 4 p.m. and resume the action.

Republicans leaving the closed-door meeting say that Rep. Tom Emmer will continue to meet with holdouts behind closed doors.

Rep. Steve Scalise, who ran for the top spot earlier this month, told reporters that Emmer said he won’t put his nomination on the floor for a full vote until he locks down 217 votes behind closed doors.

One of the more than 20 holdouts, Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., said that he’ll never vote for Emmer.

Multiple Republican members have told ABC News that roughly 26 Republicans voted against Rep. Tom Emmer in their closed-door roll call vote, signaling that he doesn't have the support of enough members to win the speaker's gavel in a floor vote.

Emmer is now fielding questions from members in the conference meeting. Some are streaming out and signaling that he plans to stay there as long as it takes to get the needed support.

It's unclear when the Republicans will bring his nomination to the House floor for an official vote.

"We're in a very bad place," former Speaker Kevin McCarthy told ABC News Senior Congressional Correspondent Rachel Scott.

-ABC's Benjamin Siegel

5:23

House Republicans nominate Rep. Tom Emmer for next speaker in internal vote

Emmer follows Reps. Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan as replacements for ousted speaker Kevin McCarthy.

ABCNews.com

House Democratic Caucus chair Pete Aguilar dismissed the idea that Democrats are seriously considering voting "present" to help a Republican get elected as speaker when the vote hits the House floor.

"That isn't a conversation that we've had," Aguilar told reporters.

Aguilar said Democrats are willing to engage and have conversations about a path forward, but didn't believe it fell to them to mend the GOP.

"It's not on us to fix the Republican dysfunction and their round robin voting that is going on right now," he said. "But we are serious about making this place work. We are serious about funding the government. We are serious about making sure that we look out for our allies in Israel and Ukraine. Those are things that we all want to get accomplished."

-ABC's Mariam Khan

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer is currently speaking to the conference after winning a majority of GOP votes to be elected speaker.

Emmer received 117 votes in the final round. But more than 100 Republicans voted against, either backing Louisiana Rep. Mike Johnson (who received 97 votes) or casting a ballot for someone else.

There will be a roll call vote in conference after the speech to help Emmer determine if he can get to the 217 votes needed before heading to the House floor.