New Speaker Johnson projects unity, expects 'aggressive' schedule

Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy floated a plan to GOP members Tuesday night, in which he would return as speaker of the House and make Rep. Jim Jordan an assistant speaker, multiple sources tell ABC News.

Two sources briefed on the plan suggested it would be modeled after the arrangement former speaker Nancy Pelosi had with assistant speaker Katherine Clark.

Details about the plan were scarce.

Since McCarthy and Jordan were both rejected by Republicans for the role previously, some suspect it to be a long shot. Sources believe, though, that the idea could pick up traction if another nominee fails to get the votes.

McCarthy is huddled with aides and allies behind closed doors, sources said. There are still five Republicans running for the post, and Rep. Max Miller asked each of them if they would support McCarthy returning as speaker, sources also said. The candidates were reportedly split, with the conservative members dodging the question.

Earlier today, ABC News asked McCarthy if he would consider returning as speaker. He didn't rule it out, saying it was up to the conference to decide the path forward.

-ABC's Rachel Scott, Ben Siegel and Jay O'Brien

The White House in a written statement accused House Republicans of "seemingly endless finger-pointing and competitions to take the most extreme positions imaginable" as they fail to select a speaker.

Spokesman Andrew Bates contrasted their inability to choose a leader with the "splitscreen" of Biden "lowering costs and leading on the world stage."

"But only they can help themselves," he added.

-ABC's Ben Gittleson

Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark., an Army veteran who opposed the far-right push for Rep. Jim Jordan for speaker, said he was stunned by Rep. Tom Emmer's exit from the speaker race.

"We are hopelessly divided. We are -- we are struggling to find our way," he told ABC's Rachel Scott. The people that are involved in these proceedings are hell-bent on making sure that if it's not their guy, their pick, nothing else matters."

"We are hellbent on letting the perfect, or the selfish, get in the way of the good," he said.

Scott asked Womack, a six-term veteran, if he saw a way out of the chaos.

"I haven't seen it," he said. "To continue to go through this exercise is, I think, an existential threat to the constitutional republic," he said.

As Republicans gathered for yet another candidate forum Tuesday night, it's still not clear that any candidate can garner 217 votes on the House floor.

That's led to even more chatter around temporarily empowering Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry through a resolution vote on the floor.

"McHenry should be able to keep this going," former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said of the temporary speaker.

Meanwhile, Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., one of the eight GOP lawmakers who voted to oust McCarthy, told Scott he doesn't regret his decision that led to the last three weeks of gridlock.

"I regret not doing it in January, to solve this issue in January, rather than in October," he said.

-ABC's Benjamin Siegel

House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., confirmed that six Republican lawmakers are now running for speaker.

They are Reps. Byron Donalds, Fla.; Chuck Fleischmann, Tenn.; Mark Green, Tenn.; Kevin Horn, Okla.; Mike Johnson, La.; and Roger Williams, Texas.