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☆ Kevin McCarthy elected speaker of the House, ending days of Republican chaos and division in Washington
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Kevin McCarthy finally realized his goal and was elected speaker of the House. McCarthy was elected after days of failure amid the most chaotic speaker election in over a century. McCarthy clinched the speaker's gavel after 15 ballots and in the wee hours of the fifth day of voting. House GOP leaders then scrambled to delay future votes until Monday before abruptly reversing and forcing an immediate 15th vote. He'll also have to grapple with a Democratic-controlled Senate and White House, which will certainly block many conservative priorities.

☆ 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.

☆ Kevin McCarthy’s House Speaker Bid Heads to Fourth Day as Talks Continue
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Natalie Andrews | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—House lawmakers headed into their fourth day of voting for a new speaker Friday, with Kevin McCarthy and his allies pressing for a deal that would flip enough detractors for him to take the gavel after 11 rounds without a winner. Republicans involved in the talks huddled late into Thursday, trying to bridge the gulf between Mr. McCarthy’s supporters and his 20 opponents. Negotiators indicated they were closing in on an agreement, and Mr. McCarthy expressed optimism and played down the idea that planned concessions would weaken him as speaker.

WASHINGTON— Kevin McCarthy stepped up negotiations with Republican detractors, offering fresh concessions to win support after a third day of House speaker votes yielded no movement toward a winner in the GOP-controlled chamber. Mr. McCarthy and some of his opponents appeared to be coalescing around a deal, stepping up the pace of discussions as the House marked its 11th round of votes with no winner, the most since just before the Civil War. Most Republicans backed Mr. McCarthy over three days of tallies, but 20 continued to oppose him, and it wasn’t known if enough holdouts would potentially change their votes to give Mr. McCarthy the gavel. All Democrats supported their pick, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York.

☆ Republican Mike Bost screams at Matt Gaetz on House floor for trashing Kevin McCarthy
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Matt Gaetz nominated Jim Jordan again, trashing McCarthy's bid as a vanity project. GOP Rep. Mike Bost, a McCarthy supporter, rose from his chair and began screaming at Gaetz. Republican Rep.-elect Matt Gaetz of Florida rose to nominate Republican Rep.-elect Jim Jordan of Ohio to be speaker of the House. Jordan, set to be the next chair of the House Judiciary Committee, is not seeking the position and supports Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy. As Gaetz continued speaking, fellow Republican Rep.-elect Mike Bost of Illinois rose and began screaming at him.

☆ After flipping 13 votes in his favor, McCarthy loses yet another floor vote in seemingly endless speaker bid
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Kevin McCarthy lost his 12th speaker ballot Friday. The converts are still reviewing rules changes McCarthy has promised in exchange for the gavel. "Watch here and you'll see some people who have been voting against me voting for me," McCarthy told reporters at the US Capitol. Republican Reps.-elect Ken Buck of Colorado and Wesley Hunt of Texas, both McCarthy supporters, were both absent Friday morning because of personal reasons. "You only earn the position if you get the votes," Gaetz said on the House floor, a taunt that caused McCarthy supporter Rep-elect Mike Bost of Illinois to shout his disapproval.

☆ Elon Musk tweets support for the embattled Kevin McCarthy in his quest to be House speaker
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Taiyler Simone Mitchell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Twitter CEO Elon Musk tweeted his support for Kevin McCarthy. McCarthy has faced 11 unsuccessful votes in his bid to be speaker of the House of Representatives. "Kevin McCarthy should be Speaker," Musk, who considers himself "economically right of center, maybe," tweeted early Thursday morning. Rep. Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican is aiming to become the next House speaker — but he has come up short in 11 votes over three days. The House currently has no active member of Congress as the speaker vote is delaying the swearing-in process and pushing back legislation.

☆ U.S. House brawl over McCarthy raises worries about Republican governance
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( David Morgan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Republicans captured a thin House majority in November's midterm elections, breaking the hold of President Joe Biden's Democrats on both chambers of Congress. That infuriated many House Republicans, including some who are now leading the opposition to McCarthy and demanding greater control over the House agenda. Republican Representative Andy Biggs at the time called McConnell's deal "offensive and dangerous." Lawmakers tried to remove House speakers by invoking the rule in 1910 and in 2015, when former Republican Speaker John Boehner resigned after a hardline conservative filed a request to oust him. Boehner and his successor as speaker, fellow Republican Paul Ryan, both left the post after conflict with conservative hardliners whose influence has since grown.

☆ Matt Gaetz says he'll 'resign' from Congress if the Democratic Party changes tack and elects a moderate Republican for speaker
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Matt Gaetz is sure House Democrats will not break ranks and vote for a moderate Republican for speaker. Gaetz told Fox News host Laura Ingraham that he will "resign" if that scenario occurs. These 212 Democrats are going to vote for Hakeem Jeffries every single time," Gaetz told Ingraham. "I assure you — that if Democrats joined up to elect a moderate Republican, I will resign from the House of Representatives. On Thursday, Gaetz voted for former President Donald Trump to be speaker even after McCarthy made significant concessions to the "Never Kevin" camp.

☆ The Tragedy of Kevin McCarthy
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Will Hurd | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

It’s hard not to see the predicament of Rep. Kevin McCarthy as a tragedy. A man who was heralded 15 years ago as a new brand of conservative leader, who set records for fundraising, and who helped get candidates elected all over the country now has had to suffer through successive failures to become speaker of the House. Mr. McCarthy was a co-author, with future Speaker Paul Ryan and Majority Leader Eric Cantor , of “Young Guns: A New Generation of Conservative Leaders” (2010), which criticized earlier Republicans, particularly on matters of the federal budget. They wrote that Republicans were “arrogant and out of touch” and suffered “failures from high-profile ethics lapses to the inability to rein in spending or even slow the growth of government.”

☆ Kevin McCarthy Makes New Concessions to Try to Win Over GOP Holdouts in Speaker Race
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Natalie Andrews | Eliza Collins | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON— Kevin McCarthy made new concessions to try to win over detractors in the hard-fought race for House speaker, with some lawmakers expressing hope that they could see a resolution soon, but with both sides acknowledging that it could take days. The discussions between the California Republican’s allies and his opponents heated up after Mr. McCarthy didn’t reach the majority in three series of votes for the speaker post Tuesday, nor another three Wednesday, deepening doubts about his prospects and fueling talk of alternatives.

☆ Republicans Blocking Kevin McCarthy Unlikely to Face Blowback at Home
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Cameron Mcwhirter | John Mccormick | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A faction of House Republicans who have spent days blocking Rep. Kevin McCarthy from gaining the speaker’s gavel is facing intense arm-twisting in Washington from their own party, but its members are unlikely to encounter much pressure back home, local GOP leaders in some of their conservative-leaning districts said. McCarthy’s opponents—about 20 House members—exposed divisions in the GOP between mainstream leaders seeking to gain the reins of power in Washington and those in the party who want power to be less concentrated. The holdouts have made various demands related to committee assignments, chamber rules and desired issue votes. The House was slated to reconvene Thursday after Mr. McCarthy failed to secure the speakership in rounds of voting Tuesday and Wednesday.

☆ Republicans Pursue Speaker Talks After No Winner in Six Votes
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Natalie Andrews | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—Negotiations were set to continue between Kevin McCarthy and his detractors on Thursday, with some lawmakers expressing hope that they could see a resolution to the speaker fight soon, but with both sides saying it could take days. The discussions between Mr. McCarthy’s allies and his opponents heated up after Mr. McCarthy didn’t reach the majority in three series of votes for the speaker post Tuesday, nor another three Wednesday, deepening doubts about his prospects and fueling talk of alternatives.

☆ Kevin McCarthy’s Allies Push to Win Over Republican Holdouts After Six House Speaker Votes
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Natalie Andrews | Siobhan Hughes | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON— Kevin McCarthy and his allies launched a new round of talks late Wednesday with a small but stubborn band of conservative holdouts who have blocked his bid for House speaker, reviving hopes of a possible deal following a second day without a winner. The discussions heated up after Mr. McCarthy didn’t reach the majority in three rounds of voting Tuesday, nor in another three Wednesday, which served to deepen doubts about his prospects and fuel talk of alternative GOP candidates.

☆ Giving away more power did nothing for Kevin McCarthy, who lost his 8th House speaker ballot after further bowing to dissidents' demands
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Warren Rojas | Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Kevin McCarthy kept flailing Thursday as 20 House conservatives torched another speaker vote. Republican Rep. Josh Gottheimer, who was once a thorn in House Democrats' side, said the GOP could be in for chaos if talks could on their current trajectory. Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Texas previously compared bringing back the procedural maneuver to governing "with a gun to your head." According to multiple reports, McCarthy has now agreed to let a single House Republican wield that power. This almost certainly means McCarthy would need to rely on House Democrats, a scenario that has doomed past GOP speakers.

☆ Opinion | Why the Fringiest Fringe of the G.O.P. Now Has So Much Power Over the Party
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Richard H. Pildes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Control over committee assignments was once a powerful tool party leaders had to encourage members to follow the party line and punish those who did not. Those challenging Mr. McCarthy for speaker know they run the risk of being punished in their committee assignments, should he eventually prevail. The risk of cable television hosts turning on them is a much greater concern than failing to get particular committee assignments. Political fragmentation is the dispersion of political power into so many different hands and centers of power that governing effectively becomes far more difficult. In the proportional-representation systems of Western Europe, the traditionally dominant large political parties have splintered into a kaleidoscope of smaller parties.

☆ Members of congress say they are unable to receive classified information as Kevin McCarthy loses 6th vote to become House speaker in 2 days
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Members of Congress are speaking out about the myriad issues caused by the House speaker vote. Following Rep. McCarthy's sixth failed bid on Wednesday, there are zero sworn members of Congress. There are currently no members of the Congress, as swearing-in ceremonies have been delayed while the quest to elect a House speaker has dragged on. And on Wednesday, several members of Congress said that the procedural hold-up and GOP infighting have restricted their access to classified information and key national security intel. By Wednesday evening, McCarthy had failed in six consecutive bids to become House speaker.

WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., lost a seventh vote for House speaker Thursday, despite conceding to several new demands from his far-right opponents. An eighth vote was expected, although there were few signs that McCarthy's fortunes would improve. "I think everyone in the conversation wants to find a solution," McCarthy said on his way into the House chamber for the vote. With 222 Republicans in the House, he can't afford to lose more than four votes. Ahead of Thursday's votes, Democratic Party leaders berated Republicans for the party's dysfunction, and emphasized the harm that going days without a House speaker was inflicting on the legislative branch and the nation.

☆ Matt Gaetz votes for Trump to become House speaker as Kevin McCarthy loses for the 7th time
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Rep. Matt Gaetz voted for former President Donald Trump for House speaker on Thursday. Rep. Kevin McCarthy lost his bid for House speaker for the seventh time. Gaetz is among 20 House Republicans who have repeatedly voted against McCarthy. Yet there appears to have been limited, if any, progress in negotiations as the anti-McCarthy group remained opposed to him in the seventh vote on Thursday. Gaetz's vote for Trump also comes as the former president on Wednesday morning urged the holdouts to support McCarthy.

WASHINGTON — Republican leader Kevin McCarthy and his conservative detractors will square off for a second consecutive day as lawmakers prepare to resume voting Wednesday to pick the next House speaker. Three separate votes were held, and each time McCarthy, R-Calif., a veteran member of GOP leadership, fell short. It was the first time in 100 years that the speaker vote has gone to multiple ballots. Without a speaker, House lawmakers can’t be sworn in, committees can’t be formed, and GOP investigations into the Biden administration can’t begin. Trump, who previously endorsed McCarthy for speaker and had been making calls on his behalf, has gone silent on his support.

☆ The GOP’s Chaos Caucus Returns
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

House Republicans say they want to drain the swamp and save America, but they can’t even get through Day 1 without a display of dysfunction. Stipulated, Rep. Kevin McCarthy isn’t everyone’s ideal of a conservative Speaker. Yet when the House gathered to organize itself Tuesday, a rump Republican faction blocked Mr. McCarthy’s elevation as Speaker. Mr. McCarthy had 203. With no majority winner (218 votes), the leadership race went to multiple ballots, a spectacle that hasn’t been witnessed since 1923.

☆ Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says Democrats would 'all be unconscious' if they took shots every time Kevin McCarthy lost a Republican vote for speaker
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

GOP Rep. Kat Cammack suggested Democrats were drinking as Republicans struggled to elect a speaker. "If Dems took a shot every time McCarthy lost a Republican, we'd all be unconscious by now," she tweeted. "If Dems took a shot every time McCarthy lost a Republican, we'd all be unconscious by now." Ocasio-Cortez was responding to a tweet from Punchbowl News' Jake Sherman about a comment from GOP Rep. Kat Cammack, of Florida, who nominated Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy for House speaker. Neither do actual members of the House of Representatives, until a House speaker can be elected and the members then sworn into office.

It was the first time in 100 years that the House has not elected a speaker on its first day. McCarthy has refused to give up against the hardliners, who make up less than one-tenth of the House Republican conference. Supporters of McCarthy, who has served as House Republican leader since 2019, accuse some hardliners of conducting a "Never Kevin" campaign aimed solely at stopping him. He may not want it right now, but George Washington did not want to be president," Representative Lauren Boebert told Fox News. Some Republicans warned that continued obstruction could lead them to work with Democrats to elect a moderate Republican as speaker.

In the third round of voting on Tuesday, all 20 of the lawmakers defying Mr. McCarthy voted for Jim Jordan of Ohio instead. Mr. Jordan, who himself voted for Mr. McCarthy, is a founding member of the Freedom Caucus and has repeatedly cast doubt on the 2020 election. Nineteen Republicans did not support Mr. McCarthy on the first two votes, casting their ballots for others, including Mr. Biggs and Mr. Jordan. 1st Zeldin Jordan Jordan Luna , Fla. 13th Fla. 13th Jordan Jordan Jordan Miller , Ill. 15th Ill. 15th Jordan Jordan Jordan Norman , S.C. 5th S.C. 5th Biggs Jordan Jordan Ogles , Tenn. 5th Tenn. 5th Jordan Jordan Jordan Perry , Pa. 10th Pa. 10th Biggs Jordan Jordan Rosendale , Mont. 2nd Biggs Jordan Jordan Roy , Texas 21st Texas 21st Donalds Jordan Jordan Self , Texas 3rd Texas 3rd Jordan Jordan JordanLee Zeldin, a former representative from New York, received one vote (from Andy Harris of Maryland) on the first ballot.

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