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☆ House Republicans to highlight US debt ahead of Biden budget proposal
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( David Morgan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, March 8 (Reuters) - U.S. House Republicans plan to focus on the federal government's $31.4 trillion debt in a closed-door meeting on Wednesday, the day before President Joe Biden unveils a 2024 spending plan the White House says will help limit the debt's growth. The emergence of the two budgets are seen as the starting gun for negotiations between House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Biden over spending for fiscal 2024, which begins Sept. 1. The stakes of those talks are elevated this year as the federal government is expected to hit the $31.4 trillion debt ceiling by summer. McCarthy wants Biden to agree to spending cuts before his narrow Republican House majority would agree to raise the debt ceiling. Biden insists that Republicans must agree to a "clean" debt ceiling increase without a preliminary deal on spending.

☆ Kevin McCarthy to Meet With Taiwan’s President When She Visits U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Natalie Andrews | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a Republican from California, in Washington on Tuesday. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy plans to meet with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing -wen when she visits the U.S., the California Republican told reporters on Tuesday. “I will, when she’s in America,” he said of the meeting. “But that has nothing to do with my travel and if I would go to Taiwan or not, and China can’t tell me where or when to go.”

☆ US House Speaker McCarthy says he will provide Jan. 6 defendants with security footage
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) delivers remarks on the debt ceiling, outside of his office on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., February 6, 2023. REUTERS/Evelyn HocksteinWASHINGTON, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Republican U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said on Tuesday that he would provide defendants in criminal cases from the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol with access to thousands of hours of internal security footage of the melee. "I'll give it out to the entire country," said the California Republican, who first announced his plan to release security footage days after being elected speaker in early January. McCarthy told reporters that Jan. 6 defendants had been able to access some security footage before he became speaker. 2 Republican, told reporters that lawmakers would make sure that any public releases would not include sensitive material.

☆ Live updates: Supreme Court hears Gonzalez v. Google case against Big Tech
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Brian Fung | Tierney Sneed | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The US Supreme Court is seen in Washington, DC, on January 19. (Stefani Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images)The Supreme Court is set to hear back-to-back oral arguments Tuesday and Wednesday on two cases that could significantly reshape online speech and content moderation. First up Tuesday is the Gonzalez v. Google case. The case involving Google zeroes in on whether it can be sued because of its subsidiary YouTube’s algorithmic promotion of terrorist videos on its platform. Beatrice Gonzalez and Jose Hernandez, the mother and stepfather of Nohemi Gonzalez, who was fatally shot and killed in a 2015 rampage by Islamist militants in Paris, are seen outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, on February 16.

☆ Supreme Court to hear oral arguments in Google case with potential to upend the internet
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The Supreme Court on Tuesday is set to hear oral arguments in the first of two cases this week with the potential to reshape how online platforms handle speech and content moderation. The oral arguments on Tuesday are for a case known as Gonzalez v. Google, which zeroes in on whether the tech giant can be sued because of its subsidiary YouTube’s algorithmic promotion of terrorist videos on its platform. The allegation seeks to carve out content recommendations so that they do not receive protections under Section 230, a federal law that has for decades largely protected websites from lawsuits over user-generated content. If successful, it could expose tech platforms to an array of new lawsuits and may reshape how social media companies run their services. On Wednesday, the Court will hear arguments in a second case, Twitter v. Taamneh.

☆ Two Supreme Court cases this week could upend the entire internet
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Washington CNN —The Supreme Court is set to hear back-to-back oral arguments this week in two cases that could significantly reshape online speech and content moderation. The closely watched cases, known as Gonzalez v. Google and Twitter v. Taamneh, carry significant stakes for the wider internet. Many Republican officials allege that Section 230 gives social media platforms a license to censor conservative viewpoints. In recent years, however, several Supreme Court justices have shown an active interest in Section 230, and have appeared to invite opportunities to hear cases related to the law. The Court last month delayed a decision on whether to hear those cases, asking instead for the Biden administration to submit its views.

☆ Kevin McCarthy is working tirelessly and spending a lot of his political capital to win fights that don't actually matter.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Kevin McCarthy rallied GOP lawmakers to oust Ilhan Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee. But taking Omar off the Foreign Affairs panel took a good deal more effort on his part. The Omar vote was seen as a huge victory for the party, especially coming off McCarthy's protracted 15 rounds of balloting to secure the House speakership. Republicans led a successful effort to remove Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota from the House Foreign Affairs Committee. While Republican leaders were pleased with the outcome, the behind-the-scenes work to push through a successful vote against Omar took up a lot of political oxygen.

☆ Debt ceiling deal no closer as McCarthy, Biden vow to continue talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Christina Wilkie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

McCarthy said he and Biden did not discuss any details of their next meeting, such as whether White House aides or members of McCarthy's leadership team would participate. Both Biden and McCarthy say passing a debt limit bill is absolutely essential. "I believe you have to lift the debt ceiling, but you do not lift the debt ceiling without changing your behavior. Biden and the White House have so far refused to "negotiate" on a debt limit hike, however. "We will not pass a clean debt ceiling here without some form of spending reform.

☆ McCarthy says he will meet Biden again on U.S. debt ceiling
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

"We're going to meet again about the debt ceiling and ways that we can find ways for savings and put ourselves on a path to balance." The U.S. government neared its $31.4 trillion debt ceiling earlier this month, prompting the Treasury to warn that it may not be able to stave off default past early June. Biden and the White House had refused to negotiate with Republicans over the debt spending, saying it was the responsibility of Congress to address the issue. On Thursday, McCarthy stressed that a debt ceiling solution would need to include spending reforms. "You do not lift the debt ceiling without changing your behavior."

WASHINGTON — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he had a "very good discussion" with President Joe Biden at the White House on Wednesday about the looming debt ceiling and federal spending. The White House readout of the meeting reflected McCarthy's sentiments, stating the two had a "frank and straightforward dialogue" as part of an ongoing conversation. "It is their shared duty not to allow an unprecedented and economically catastrophic default," the White House statement read. The House speaker later said the meeting had gone better than he expected. The White House said the president agrees that addressing the national debt is a priority, but it should be a separate conversation.

☆ Social Security, Medicare should be 'off the table' in debt ceiling talks, McCarthy says. Democrats worry it's code for benefit cuts
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Lorie Konish | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., conducts a news conference in the U.S. Capitol's Statuary Hall on Thursday, January 12, 2023. Social Security and Medicare should be "completely off the table" when it comes to debt ceiling negotiations, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said in a Sunday interview. "If you read our Commitment to America, all we talk about is strengthening Medicare and Social Security," McCarthy told CBS's Face the Nation. Republicans unveiled their Commitment to America plan last September, which calls for holding Washington accountable by addressing Social Security and Medicare, among other proposals. More from Personal Finance:How House GOP lawmakers would change MedicareWhy some worry about Social Security in debt ceiling talksHow a debt ceiling standoff may affect your moneyDemocrats and advocates for the programs worry the language is code for benefit cuts.

☆ House Speaker Kevin McCarthy says cuts to Medicare and Social Security will be 'off the table' in the upcoming debt limit talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Speaker McCarthy said Medicare and Social Security cuts were "off the table" as it related to debt ceiling talks. The White House has rejected GOP-led efforts for spending cuts tied to increasing the debt limit. "If you read our Commitment to America, all we talk about is strengthening Medicare and Social Security. What I'm talking about — Social Security, Medicare, you keep that to the side," he reaffirmed. The White House has repeatedly said that it would not negotiate spending cuts as it relates to the debt ceiling, but McCarthy appeared optimistic regarding a breakthrough.

☆ Matt Gaetz tried playing kingmaker during the House speaker vote after spending 2 years as a political pariah. Republicans say the grandstanding is unlikely to stop.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz was a key player in the House speaker vote fight. "I don't think this guy's looking to be a policymaker," the GOP strategist told Insider. Doug Heye, a former House leadership aide turned GOP strategist, said the jury's still very much out on Gaetz's motivations and his endgame. Or, it could be as easy as believing that guy who donned a gas mask to ridicule a House vote on COVID-19 relief is committed to troublemaking. Not a workaholicA former House GOP leadership aide said Gaetz's reputation precedes him on Capitol HIll.

☆ The furor over Biden's classified documents rekindles House Republicans' sweeping impeachment agenda
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

House Republicans sought to impeach Biden, Merrick Garland, Alejandro Mayorkas and others last year. 57; H. Res. 596; H. Res. 597; H. Res. 598; H. Res.

☆ Republican representatives say they are not worried McCarthy conceded too much
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-08 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Following a chaotic week in the U.S. House of Representatives over Kevin McCarthy's bid for speaker, Republican representatives said Sunday they are not worried that he gave up too much in order to secure the gavel. Republican Rep. Scott Perry, who was among the most outspoken opponents of McCarthy's speaker bid, flipped his vote for McCarthy on the 12th ballot. "This is never about Kevin McCarthy. Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., said Sunday he's not worried that Kevin McCarthy conceded too much to get the speakership. But House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said if McCarthy is willing to try and find common ground, he will find willing partners among House Democrats.

☆ Trump exalts himself over Kevin McCarthy's elevation to House speaker: 'I did our Country a big favor!'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-08 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Trump on Saturday took to Truth Social to pat himself on the back for McCarthy's speakership win. "I greatly helped Kevin McCarthy attain the position of Speaker of the House," he wrote. After 15 rounds of balloting, McCarthy was selected by the House as its speaker in a 216-212 vote. "The Fake News Media was, believe it or not, very gracious in their reporting that I greatly helped Kevin McCarthy attain the position of Speaker of the House," he wrote. McCarthy has long allied himself with Trump, and backtracked in his criticism of the former president after the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.

Share this -Link copiedMcCarthy elected speaker in 15th round McCarthy was elected House speaker Saturday shortly after midnight on the 15th ballot. Share this -Link copiedHouse reconvenes to hold 14th round of speaker votes The House has reconvened to begin the 14th round of speaker votes. Read the rest of the story, The House speaker election, in three charts. Share this -Link copiedHouse begins 13th round The House is beginning the 13th round of speaker votes. At least 14 House GOP flip to support McCarthy in twelfth speaker vote Jan. 6, 2023 01:52 Share this -Link copied

“It’s critically important that the Rules Committee reflect the body and reflect the will of the people. “What we’re seeing is the incredibly shrinking speakership,” former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in an interview Friday. “The reason these people want to be on the Rules Committee is they want to screw things up for McCarthy. The message the leader received from his deal-making centrists: We can live with giving Freedom Caucus members committee slots but committee gavels are a “nonstarter.”“Nobody should get a chairmanship without earning it,” Bacon said. That pisses us off.”Díaz-Balart said he had received assurances that “there are no deals cut about chairmanships” to committees as part of swaying votes to make McCarthy speaker.

☆ Photos show tension and mayhem on the House floor during Kevin McCarthy's final push to become speaker
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( Taiyler Simone Mitchell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Rep. Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, sits in disappointment after his 14th loss during the House Speaker vote on Friday night. Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., reacts after losing the 14th vote in the House chamber as the House meets for the fourth day to elect a speaker and convene the 118th Congress in Washington, Friday, Jan. 6, 2023. AP Photo/Alex BrandonMcCarthy needed a majority of votes to become Speaker of the House, but 20 far-right Republicans withheld their support before the 15th and final vote.

☆ GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz on his decision to vote 'present' in the final House speaker roll call vote despite his opposition to McCarthy: 'I ran out of things I could even imagine to ask for'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Matt Gaetz was one of the last holdouts in backing challengers to Kevin McCarthy's speakership bid. Gaetz told CNN that he "ran out of things" to ask for by the end of the public leadership fight. However, by the 14th ballot — when the vast majority of the conservative holdouts had finally moved behind McCarthy — Gaetz shifted his vote from Jordan and instead recorded himself as "present." Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama after the 14th round of voting then confronted Gaetz and appeared to lunge at the Floridian over the vote. CNN reported that Gaetz on Monday had asked McCarthy to chair a House Armed Services subcommittee, but the GOP leader had declined the request.

☆ Kevin McCarthy says Republicans 'learned how to govern' and will 'be more effective' after the party's infighting to select a speaker
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Kevin McCarthy on Friday brushed off any concerns about fallout from the GOP leadership battle. "Because it took this long, now we learned how to govern," the California Republican said. McCarthy clinched the House speakership early Saturday morning after a 15th ballot. "Because it took this long, now we learned how to govern. McCarthy on early Saturday morning eventually won the speakership over House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York after 15 ballots and a 216-212 vote.

☆ Chaos in the House: McCarthy's plea, and begging for votes
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( Mary Clare Jalonick | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

It was nearing midnight, and he had already lost 13 votes for speaker over four long days. U.S. Rep.-elect Matt Gaetz (R-FL) (L) talks to House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) in the House Chamber during the fourth day of elections for Speaker of the House at the U.S. Capitol Building on January 06, 2023 in Washington, DC. Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesGaetz, who had hurled personal insults at McCarthy just hours earlier on the House floor, said no. Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images NewsThe chaos on the House floor came exactly two years after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection. US Representative Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) speaks to US Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL) in the House Chamber at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on January 6, 2023.

☆ U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy pledges to tackle immigration, 'woke' education policies and IRS funding
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Jon Cherry | ReutersNewly elected U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy took the gavel of the chamber after a bruising weeklong battle within his own party, promising to carry out a conservative, America-first agenda, tackling the immigration crisis at the Mexican border, cutting back funding at the IRS and fixing "woke indoctrination in our schools." He said the first legislation he plans to tackle will repeal funding for more than 87,000 new IRS agents. McCarthy said the tense showdown on the House floor this week was proof that he is not someone who gives up easily. Though his election marked the end of a long week and night in Washington, McCarthy said it was also a new beginning for the nation. Republican members-elect celebrate as House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is elected Speaker of the House in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol Building on January 07, 2023 in Washington, DC.

“I’m not telling you we have an agreement,” McCarthy said at one point, according to two people. Share this -Link copiedReporters appear to be live tweeting the GOP conference call Members of the Capitol press corps were live-tweeting what was being said on the House GOP Conference call Friday morning. Share this -Link copied‘I’m not even a congressman’: House lawmakers and staffers can’t function while speaker fight drags on WASHINGTON — There is no speaker of the House. And because of the GOP’s new razor-thin majority, McCarthy can only afford four GOP defections on any speaker vote. If members are not present for votes, it would lower the threshold McCarthy, of California, needs to win a majority and become House speaker.

WASHINGTON, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Republican Kevin McCarthy's perilous quest to become speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives entered the fourth day on Friday, with a scale of congressional dysfunction not seen since before the U.S. Civil War. This week's 11 failed votes marked the highest number of ballots for the speakership since the late 1850s. But the holdouts want a deal that would make it easier to oust the speaker and give them greater influence within the House Republican caucus and on congressional committees. Some Republicans believed the agreement under discussion might give McCarthy as many as 10 additional votes. Some of McCarthy's opponents showed no sign of yielding.

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