U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy pledges to tackle immigration, ‘woke’ education policies and IRS funding

Newly elected U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy took the gavel of the chamber after a bruising weeklong battle inside his own party, promising to perform a conservative, America-first agenda, tackling the immigration crisis on the Mexican border, cutting back funding on the IRS and fixing “woke indoctrination in our schools.”

After 14 failed votes since Tuesday, the California Republican was in a position to overcome opposition after making extraordinary concessions to a small bloc of far-right holdouts who refused to support his speaker bid.

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 recent 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 yr on the Southern border.

“No more ignoring this crisis of safety and sovereignty,” he said. “We must secure our border.”

McCarthy claimed he’ll pass bills fixing “urgent” problems within the nation with an America-first approach. Along with immigration, he said he wants to deal with “America-Last” energy policies and “woke indoctrination” in schools, noting that children come first and needs to be taught to “dream big.”

He added that he may also plan to deal with long-term challenges like debt and the Chinese Communist Party, and he affirmed his commitment to law enforcement and criminal prosecution.

McCarthy said the tense showdown on the House floor this week was proof that he just isn’t someone who gives up easily.

” – my father at all times told me: It isn’t the way you start, it’s the way you finish,” he said. “And now we’d like to complete strong for the American people.”

Though his election marked the tip of an extended week and night in Washington, McCarthy said it was also a recent starting for the nation.

Biden congratulated McCarthy on his election as House Speaker in an announcement issued shortly before 1 a.m. ET.

“Jill and I congratulate Kevin McCarthy on his election as Speaker of the House,” said Biden. “I’m prepared to work with Republicans once I can and voters made clear that they expect Republicans to be prepared to work with me as well,” he added.

Other Democratic leaders were less congratulatory following McCarthy’s victory.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a tweet Saturday that “Speaker McCarthy’s dream job could turn right into a nightmare for the American people.”

House Democrat Cori Bush of Missouri said the GOP elected a speaker who enabled the violent riot on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

“McCarthy sold out his gavel like he sold out our democracy—to white supremacist insurrectionists,” she said in a tweet Saturday. “That is not leadership.”

In a press conference early Saturday morning, McCarthy thanked former President Donald Trump for his support and said he was crucial in securing the ultimate votes McCarthy needed.

“I do not think he should, anybody should doubt his influence,” McCarthy said. “He was with me from the start.”

Trump publicly voiced his support for McCarthy on his social media platform Truth Social Saturday. The previous president said the Republican Party got here together and that it was “a phenomenal thing to see.”

“The ‘Speaker’ selection process, as crazy because it could appear, has made all of it much greater and more vital than if done the more conventional way,” he said. “Congratulations to Kevin McCarthy and our GREAT Republican Party!”

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell also shared support for McCarthy Saturday, saying in a tweet that Senate Republicans sit up for working with him.

McCarthy’s first job as speaker was to swear in the opposite 433 members of Congress, who had been in limbo as members-elect since Tuesday, when the 118th Congress first opened. Once all the brand new members were sworn in, the House approved the brand new package of rules that McCarthy negotiated with hard-right Republicans.

McCarthy said negotiating was difficult given the slim margins in the bulk, but that his victory shows that the Republican party can work together.

“I feel what you will notice by having this now, we have worked out how you can work together,” he said.

— CNBC’s Christina Wilkie contributed to this report