House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) addressed the House of Representatives for the first time after being elected Speaker of the US House of Representatives in the 15th round of voting last night on the fourth day of the 118th Congress at the US Capitol. in Washington, USA, January 7, 2023.
John Cherry Reuters
The newly elected Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, took the gavel from the chamber after a bruising weekly battle in his own party, promising to carry out a conservative, America first agenda, tackling the immigration crisis at the Mexican border, reducing funding in the IRS. and fix the “woke indoctrination in our schools.”
After 14 failed votes since Tuesday, California Republicans managed to overcome opposition after making extraordinary concessions to a small bloc from the far-right that refused to support the speaker’s bid.
McCarthy laid out an ambitious plan to wrap up the 118th congressional session on Saturday morning, saying he wanted to “provide checks and balances” to President Joe Biden’s policies. He said the first piece of legislation he planned would defund more than 87,000 new IRS agents. He highlighted immigration reform as a top priority, saying the Republican-controlled House will hold its first several hearings this year on the Southern border.
“There is no more ignoring this crisis of security and sovereignty,” he said. “We need to secure our borders.”
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) kicks the Speaker’s gavel for the first time after being elected as the next Speaker of the US House of Representatives in the 15th round of voting during the night of the fourth day of the 118th Congress at the US Capitol in Washington, USA, January 7, 2023.
Evelyn Hockstein Reuters
McCarthy said he would introduce a bill to address the country’s “critical” issues with an America-first approach. In addition to immigration, he said he wants to tackle the “America-Last” energy policy and “wake up indoctrination” in schools, saying that children come first and should be taught to “dream big.”
He added that he would also plan to deal with long-term challenges like debt and the Chinese Communist Party, and he stressed his commitment to law enforcement and criminal prosecution.
McCarthy said his tense showing on the house floor this week is proof that he is not one to give up easily.
“You know – my dad always told me: it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish,” he said. “And now we have to finish strong for the American people.”
Although the election marked the end of the week and night in Washington, McCarthy said it was also a new beginning for the country.
Republicans-elect members celebrate as House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is elected Speaker of the House in the House Chamber at the US Capitol Building on January 07, 2023 in Washington, DC.
Anna Moneymaker Getty Images
Biden congratulated McCarthy on her election as Speaker of the House in a statement issued shortly before 1 a.m. ET.
“Jill and I congratulate Kevin McCarthy on his election as Speaker of the House,” Biden said. “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,” he said.
Other Democratic leaders were less congratulatory after McCarthy’s victory.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., said in a tweet Friday that “Speaker McCarthy’s dream job could turn into a nightmare for the American people.”
House Democrat Cori Bush of Missouri said the GOP chose a speaker who enabled a violent uprising at the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
“McCarthy sold the hammer like he sold our democracy — to the insurgents of white supremacy,” he said. in a tweet on Friday. “That’s not leadership.”
At a press conference on Saturday morning, McCarthy thanked former President Donald Trump for his support and said he was instrumental in securing the last vote McCarthy needed.
“I don’t think he should, anyone should doubt his influence,” McCarthy said. “He was with me from the beginning.”
Trump publicly expressed his support for McCarthy on the social media platform Truth Social Saturday. The former president said the Republican Party came together and it was “good to see.”
“The ‘Speaker’ election process, as crazy as it is, has made everything bigger and more important than if it had been done in a more conventional way,” he said. “Congratulations to Kevin McCarthy and our GREAT Republican Party!”
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell also showed support for McCarthy Saturday, said in a tweet that Senate Republicans look forward to working with him.
McCarthy’s first task as speaker was to swear in the 433 other members of Congress, who had been elected members since Tuesday, when the 118th Congress opened for the first time. After all the new members were sworn in, the House approved a new package of rules that McCarthy negotiated with hard-right Republicans.
McCarthy said the negotiations were difficult given the slim margin in the majority, but that the victory showed that the Republican party can work together.
“I think what you’re going to see by having this now is that we’ve worked on how to work together,” he said.
– CNBC’s Christina Wilkie contributed to this report