Latest U.S. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) speaks with reporters in Statuary Hall after being elected Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives in a late night fifteenth round of voting within the fourth session of the 118th Congress on the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., January 7, 2023.
Jon Cherry | Reuters
Following a chaotic week within the U.S. House of Representatives over Kevin McCarthy’s bid for speaker, Republican representatives said Sunday they aren’t nervous that he gave up an excessive amount of to be able to secure the gavel.
After 14 failed votes since Tuesday, the California Republican was capable of overcome opposition after making extraordinary concessions to a small bloc of far-right holdouts who refused to support his speaker bid.
Republican Rep. Scott Perry, who was amongst probably the most outspoken opponents of McCarthy’s speaker bid, flipped his vote for McCarthy on the twelfth ballot. He said Sunday that the concessions made by McCarthy will function as a mechanism to get things done and reign in issues just like the debt limit.
“This is rarely about Kevin McCarthy. That is about power for the American people,” Perry told ABC’s “This Week.” “And with all due respect, Nancy Pelosi ran Congress like a jail camp with no accountability.”
Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., said Sunday he is not nervous that Kevin McCarthy conceded an excessive amount of to get the speakership. He said he understands why Americans were frustrated with how long it took to elect a speaker, but that a healthy democracy requires debate.
“The method that we went through this week was quite healthy from the standpoint of getting all of those issues resolved now,” he told ABC’s “This Week.”
In his first speech, McCarthy laid out an ambitious plan in addressing the 118th congressional session early Saturday morning, saying he desires to “be the check and supply some balance” to President Joe Biden’s policies.
He said the primary laws he plans to tackle will repeal funding for greater than 87,000 latest IRS agents. He highlighted immigration reform as a top priority, saying the Republican-controlled House will hold a few of its first hearings of the 12 months on the Southern border.
Rep. Dan Bishop, R-N.C., said he thinks McCarthy is “an awfully talented leader,” and that he’s confident a number of work will likely be done while he’s speaker.
He told NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday that the speaker vote was not “dysfunctioning chaos” like many individuals claimed. It gave Republicans a possibility to take a tough have a look at each other.
“It was deciding an important equations about how this Congress goes to proceed, and we achieved an unlimited amount,” he said.
Democratic representatives were less optimistic.
Massachusetts Democrat Katherine Clark told CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday that she thinks House Republicans were attempting to distract Americans away from their legislative agenda.
“After they speak about process, that may be a smoke screen,” she said.
But House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said if McCarthy is willing to attempt to find common ground, he’ll find willing partners amongst House Democrats.
“Clearly we’re going to have strong disagreements at times, but we will conform to disagree without being unpleasant,” he told NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday.