"It delays the committee process," Rep. James Comer (R-KY) said of the ongoing uncertainty about who will be speaker. "We're behind already."

It has also undermined the House GOP's bargaining position in the current debate on the federal budget for 2023.

McCarthy (R-CA) has urged Senate Republicans to block passage of a year-old omnibus spending bill in the lame duck session this month, suggesting that the party will have more influence come January.

But the chairs of the House and Senate appropriations panels and the top Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee have ignored this and agreed Tuesday on a framework for a year-long funding bill.

Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham told CNN on Thursday that he would likely back the deal rather than wait for the House Republicans to take power, saying, "They're having enough problems trying to find a speaker — much less pass a bill."

Other Senate Republicans have also spoken out.

North Dakota Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer toldPolitico on Wednesday that he was "disgusted" with the situation. "My concern is that a new House, very small majority, new leadership, is going to have to take over, and to have to start from behind?" he said. "That concerns me. That could have negative consequences."

Mississippi GOP Sen. Roger Wicker told the publication that it would be "better not to have that major hurdle that the new speaker, Kevin McCarthy, has to negotiate … it's too much to ask."

Since the start of 2021, House Democrats have passed hundreds of piece of legislation, including landmark laws addressing climate change and health care, curbing gun violence, investing in infrastructure, and protecting interracial and same-sex marriage. They did so with a narrow majority.

Throughout that time, Republicans frequently tweeted using the hashtag "#DemsInDisarray," mocking the majority for the occasional delays as they worked to find consensus.