McCarthy Kevin, a Republican, was elected as the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives on Saturday, following extensive concessions made to hardliners from the right-wing party who raised questions about the ability of governing – Reuters (Jan 7 WASHINGTON).
As the clock struck midnight, leading to a brawl where fellow Republican Mike Rogers had to be physically restrained, the 57-year-old Californian endured a final moment of embarrassment as Representative Matt Gaetz abstained from voting on the 14th ballot.
After more than 160 years, McCarthy’s win in the 15th round of voting put an end to the most severe dysfunction within Congress. However, by heading a slim and highly divided majority, it clearly demonstrated the challenges he will encounter.
Another candidate for voting, not only but also, did not receive the support of leader McCarthy. However, leader McCarthy did not back this candidate either. In addition, they withheld their own votes in six instances because fewer than half of the members of the House voted in favor of their party.
As the first time, President Joe Biden was represented by Democrats in both chambers of Congress when McCarthy took the gavel.
McCarthy stated in his inaugural speech that immigration battles and wars, along with cutting spending from a wide range of priorities, are part of our culture of fighting. He emphasized the need for us to have some balance and checks in place. Our system is designed with built-in balances and checks.
McCarthy, who was elected only after agreeing to the demand of hardliners, will be able to call for the removal of any lawmaker at any time when he tries to pass legislation addressing critical issues, including funding the government and addressing the looming debt ceiling crisis.
McCarthy’s leadership, which has given outsized power to right-wingers, has been opposed by the majority of 212-222 with a narrow margin, due to the weaker-than-expected performance of the Republicans in the midterm elections held in November.
When Congress needs to signal a further increase in the United States’ borrowing limit of $31.4 trillion, especially in the coming months, it could potentially lead to more turbulence. This could involve imposing additional restrictions on McCarthy’s powers and implementing significant spending cuts, among other concessions.
Over the past decade, Republicans have often failed in their attempts to shut down large portions of the government and bring the world’s largest borrower to the verge of default, all in an effort to secure significant reductions in spending.
They have raged in the past when Republicans, led by McConnell Mitch, agreed to compromise deals. Several hardliners have questioned McCarthy’s willingness to engage in brinkmanship such as negotiating with Biden, who controls the Senate Democrats.
In the event that he fails to meet their expectations, the hardliners, which includes Freedom Caucus Chairman Scott Perry of Pennsylvania and Chip Roy of Texas, stated that the compromises they obtained from McCarthy will facilitate the pursuit of such strategies – or compel another vote on McCarthy’s leadership.
“You have modifications in how we’re going to allocate and utilize funds that are going to be unprecedented,” stated Perry.
We don’t want to just go through and keep paying the bill without any effort to counteract the spending control when Democrats have control of the Senate and the White House. We don’t want clean debt ceilings.
“Schumer, the Majority Leader of Senate Democrats, warned McCarthy that the House Republican-controlled government shutdown could have severe repercussions and may come back to haunt him in his party. He cautioned McCarthy about making concessions to the extremists within his party.”
Biden and McConnell made a joint appearance in Kentucky on Wednesday, emphasizing the investments in infrastructure, which stands in stark contrast to the conflicts among House Republicans.
On the anniversary of the two-year delayed victory, then-President Donald Trump attempted to overturn the election loss when a violent mob stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, resulting in an attack on Congress.
During the tumultuous years leading up to the Civil war, this week’s 14 unsuccessful votes for the speakership represented the largest number of ballots cast since 1859.
In 2015, the bid for speaker by McCarthy, the previous Republican speakers John Boehner and Paul Ryan’s right-wing colleagues, crumbled due to conflict with the left-wing opposition.
McCarthy currently holds the authority to block Biden’s legislative agenda, which includes investigations into Biden, his administration, and his family, as well as progress in immigration and energy, in order to secure votes from Republicans.
CONCESSIONS
In a polarized Washington, it will be challenging for him to reach agreements with Democrats. McCarthy will have significantly less influence than his predecessor, Democrat Nancy Pelosi, but the compromises he consented to carry weight.
Granting a solitary member the ability to summon a vote to oust the speaker will provide hardliners with exceptional influence.
The agreement would result in a significant reduction in the amount of spending for the next fiscal year, with the goal of curbing population growth and inflation levels that were recorded last year.
Allocating billions of dollars to aid Ukraine in defending against a potential Russian attack, which may face opposition from moderate Republicans or individuals advocating for increased military funding.
Moderate Republican Brian Fitzpatrick expressed no concern about the House being effectively controlled by hardliners.
“It’s inspiring,” he informed journalists. “We still possess our voting cards.”