Kevin McCarthy will face a difficult first week in his new job as Speaker of the US House of Representatives, with some members of his own party questioning the deal with the rightwing rebels to gain their support.
McCarthy, a Republican, was elected Speaker in dramatic fashion in the early hours of Friday morning, after several days of wheeling and dealing to win the backing of a small but powerful group of conservative holdouts.
Some in the party have asked whether McCarthy greatly weakened his own hand by trading away too much power in the pursuit of jobs, after agreeing to a package of changes to the procedures of the House demanded by the rebels.
There were concerns over the weekend that the sweeping rule package, which sets the parameters for the new session of Congress, could itself be held up by a small number of objectors when voting on Monday.
Nancy Mace, a moderate Republican congresswoman from South Carolina, told CBS News on Sunday that she was “on the fence” about voting for the package. Mace said he wants to know more about the backdoor deal McCarthy made with right-wing Republicans to secure their support in the Speaker election.
“I like the rules package. . . . I support it. But what I don’t support is some people trying to make a deal, or a deal, for themselves, privately, in secret. . . . I don’t support it,” Mace said. “Right now I’m on the fence about the rule package vote . . . because of that.”
Tony Gonzales, a Republican congressman from Texas, also threatened to vote against the bill. He told CBS on Sunday that he took issue with a hawkish budget proposal that could lead to cuts in the US defense budget – which he called a “terrible idea”.
“When you have an aggressive Russia [in] Ukraine, you have the growing threat of China in the Pacific. . . how can I look at our allies and say, I need you to increase our defense budget, but America is going to cut our budget? said.
The changes include a provision that allows one member of Congress to trigger a vote of no confidence in the Speaker, and a requirement that bills be published at least 72 hours before the vote. The package also includes rules intended to limit federal spending, and ensure a vote will be held on pieces of proposed legislation that would reduce immigration and abortion access.
But McCarthy’s allies expressed confidence that he would secure enough votes to pass the legislative package with a simple majority. Jim Jordan, a Republican congressman from Ohio poised to become chairman of the House judiciary committee, told Fox News on Sunday: “We’ll see tomorrow. But . . . I think we’ll get the 218 votes needed to pass the legislative package.”
McCarthy on Saturday demurred when reporters on Capitol Hill asked if he had the votes to pass the rule package, saying only: “It’s a day off, OK? That’s how I rest.”
McCarthy will lead the lower house of Congress with Republicans in control by a narrow margin after winning the November midterm elections. The margin means that a handful of Republican rebels could block one piece of legislation.
The White House said US President Joe Biden called McCarthy on Saturday afternoon to congratulate him on his election as Speaker. In a statement, Biden said he was ready to work with Republicans on legislation, but warned he would oppose efforts to cut federal funding for Social Security, Medicare and the military.
Hakeem Jeffries, the House Democratic leader, said the Republican infighting portends more dysfunction in the coming years.
“Our general concern is that the historic dysfunction that we’ve seen this week is far from over. This is just the beginning,” Jeffries told NBC News.