Republican favorite Kevin McCarthy was named speaker of the US House of Representatives on Saturday as he quelled a bitter rebellion among party ranks that had paralyzed the lower chamber of Congress for days.
McCarthy has always been the frontrunner to lead the Republican-led House, but the victory in the small hours of this morning was almost derailed by the right-wing rebellion in the party which completed the contest for the history of 15 rounds of voting.
The speaker wields great influence in Washington by presiding over House business and is second in line to the presidency, after the vice president.
As he received the gavel, McCarthy vowed House Republicans would “foot the bill to fix the nation’s challenges, from an open southern border to the ‘last America’ energy policy, to wake up indoctrination in our schools.”
“America’s long-term challenges — the debt and the rise of the Chinese Communist Party — Congress needs to be united on these issues,” he told the House.
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Democratic US President Joe Biden congratulated McCarthy in a statement calling for cooperation between the leaders of the two parties.
“As I said after the midterms, I’m ready to work with Republicans when I can and the voters made it clear that they expect Republicans to be ready to work with me as well,” Biden said.
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Republican infighting
McCarthy had hoped to secure the hammer in the 14th round before midnight on Friday but suffered a shock setback amid a stunning Republican battle scene as he secured a majority by just one vote out of more than 400 players.
As Matt Gaetz voted “now” to reject McCarthy’s gavel, the disappointed Republican leader went over to speak with the Florida lawmaker-elect face-to-face.
Gaetz pointed the finger at McCarthy, who started to back away when Alabama’s Mike Rogers lunged at Gaetz and had to be held back with a restraining arm across his face.
Watch: Kevin McCarthy faces Matt Gaetz on the House floor over the speaker’s vote
“The ‘Speaker’ election process, as crazy as it is, has made everything bigger and more important than if it was done in a more conventional way,” said former president Donald Trump on the Truth Social platform.
“Congratulations to Kevin McCarthy and the GREAT Republican Party!”
Republicans, who hold a slim majority, have been mired in infighting as the Trump-backed McCarthy failed to win the speakership on most ballots, with about 20 conservative hardliners blocking his path since Tuesday.
But the 57-year-old Californian could take more than a dozen votes among defectors in two rounds of voting on Friday afternoon after offering major concessions.
McCarthy predicted to win in the 14th round – but suffered defeat given wall-to-wall coverage on US news channels before finally bagging victory in the 15th.
major concession
There have been more rounds of voting in the 2023 fractious contest than any speaker election since the Civil War.
McCarthy has been projecting his confidence all week, even as he casts votes instead of adding to the base of about 200 Republicans who have supported him.
The takeover of Congress is expected to herald the end of cross-party cooperation, with the legislative process locked down and Republicans promising an agenda of aggressive investigations into most aspects of the Biden administration and his family.
Democrats and some McCarthy supporters, privately, are concerned that he has given his critics on the right radical policy commitments that will make the House ungovernable.
There are reports, which have not been verified by AFP, that they have agreed to propose keeping spending at 2022 levels, including a military funding cap that would have the same effect as a $75 billion cut.
This has raised alarm among defense hawks who are pushing the United States to exert more force amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and China’s assertive stance on Taiwan.
A poisoned cup?
No lawmaker, even a senior one, has the authority to set the budget, but the fact that these suggestions are being taken seriously underscores Republicans’ turn to isolationism under Trump’s leadership.
Other elected lawmakers complained that McCarthy was giving up hardline plum committee posts and rule changes that would have reduced the speaker’s role.
The renegade Republicans are understood to have changed their vote in exchange for a rule change to allow them to remove the speaker in the so-called one-member vote.
He also asked for an extraordinary role in deciding what bills to pass and how to deal with them.
Democrats say the speaker’s role will be a poisoned chalice, as McCarthy’s compromises will make him the weakest speaker in modern history.
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