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JOSH BRECHEEN - FLIPPEDThe Oklahoman freshman went for McCarthy on Friday afternoon, saying a deal "will allow conservatives to rein in out-of-control spending." ANDREW CLYDE - FLIPPEDClyde of Georgia is a member of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus, which is driving opposition to McCarthy. He moved to support McCarthy on Friday. ANDY BIGGS - OPPOSEDThe Arizona lawyer ran against McCarthy in the first round of voting for speaker. MATT ROSENDALE - OPPOSEDThe lone congressman from Montana has remained opposed to McCarthy, voting repeatedly for fellow Republican Kevin Hern instead.

☆ 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.

☆ It's been two years since rioters stormed the Capitol. Here's 5 things we've learned about the insurrection in the past year
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In a speech given near the White House on January 6, Trump said he'd join protestors and march with them to the Capitol, though his march never occurred. "White House staff knew it, and so did every other Republican and Democratic leader in Washington." "After our last hearing, President Trump tried to call a witness in our investigation — a witness you have not yet seen in these hearings. That person declined to answer or respond to President Trump's call and, instead, alerted their lawyer to the call," Cheney said. Hutchinson also said that former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows asked for a pardon, along with Trump's attorney Rudy Giuliani.

☆ House speaker chaos signals Donald Trump’s shrinking influence
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Trump's allies repeatedly rejected Kevin McCarthy as House speaker, displaying his power's limits. A week of House speaker chaos revealed one thing about Donald Trump: He can't get his MAGA house in order. The drama started on Tuesday, and it wasn't until Friday that McCarthy managed to make headway in flipping members' votes. "The president needs to tell Kevin McCarthy that, 'Sir, you do not have the votes, and it's time to withdraw.'" House members who are responding to the MAGA base have no reason to fear Trump on this, he said.

☆ 2 years after the Jan. 6 insurrection, election deniers are still in the building — and holding the speakership hostage
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A group of 20 ultra-conservative Republicans continues to stonewall his leadership ambitions. More than half denied the 2020 election result and a handful are mentioned in the now-dissolved January 6 committee's report. But several of the political personalities at the heart of that attack are the same ones now holding the speakership hostage. All three lawmakers denied allegations that they were involved in planning the event. Meanwhile, the FBI seized the phone of Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania in August of last year.

☆ Trump's tax returns show no Social Security benefit income. Here's what retirees can learn about claiming
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Lorie Konish | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Jonathan Ernst | ReutersWhen former President Donald Trump's tax returns were released last week, the line for Social Security income was notably left blank. About 70 million Americans rely on Social Security for monthly income when they retire or become disabled. To qualify, workers generally need to earn 40 credits by working and paying Social Security taxes. Yet Trump had no Social Security income for tax years 2015 through 2020, based on his individual tax returns. In the U.K. or Australia, Trump would not be eligible for a benefit anywhere near the size of U.S. Social Security benefits, Biggs noted.

House Dem whip says caucus will keep voting in speaker race House Democratic whip Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Mass, said her caucus will stick around and continue voting in the speaker race. Davidson suggested there are "a couple procedural paths" where McCarthy could become speaker if Republicans changed the threshold needed to win the election. The polarization is too great.” Cole said that for all the House GOP divisions, “there’s no question” that most members in the caucus are closer in policy and vision to the anti-McCarthy rebels than they are to centrist Democrats. As Biden celebrated an upgrade to an aging bridge linking Kentucky and Ohio, House Republicans deadlocked on the basic task of electing a speaker, foreshadowing what is likely to be two years of infighting. The McCarthy-aligned Congressional Leadership Fund and the conservative Club for Growth agreed to not pick sides in some competitive House GOP primary races in exchange for supporting McCarthy's bid for speaker.

REUTERS/Jonathan ErnstWASHINGTON, Jan 5 (Reuters) - About 20 hardline Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives have voted against California Republican Kevin McCarthy in his bid to become the next Speaker of the House in successive rounds of voting this week. That has stopped the House from starting their work and exposed the sharp rifts that have developed within the Republican party. Here are some of McCarthy's most prominent opponents:SCOTT PERRYPerry is the chair of the House Freedom Caucus, the furthest right ideological grouping in the House and the home of almost all McCarthy opponents. Boebert is one of the top fundraisers among House Republicans and brought in more than $7 million for her reelection bid, to eke out one of the closest wins of the November midterms. Like others who voted against McCarthy, he was a prominent opponent of measures designed to stop the spread of COVID-19.

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.

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.

☆ Kevin McCarthy loses latest House speaker vote to sophomore Rep. Byron Donalds after failing to win over any of the conservative holdouts
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Kevin McCarthy lost another House speaker ballot on Wednesday, his fourth whiff in two days. This time, anti-McCarthy advocates nominated Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida as their pick. The only other deviation was that Republican Rep. Victoria Spartz of Indiana voted "present," which shrank McCarthy's support to 201 votes. The anti-McCarthy camp has so far proposed rallying behind Reps. Andy Biggs of Arizona, Jim Jordan of Ohio, and Byron Donalds of Florida. McCarthy refused to back down ahead of the latest doomed vote, insisting that he's still the favorite among the broader Republican caucus.

☆ Kevin McCarthy Falls Short of Speaker Win in First Round of Voting
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Natalie Andrews | Eliza Collins | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—Republican leader Kevin McCarthy fell short of victory in the first round of voting for speaker of the House, as lawmakers braced for a drawn-out session due to hardened opposition from some conservative lawmakers. The initial vote was 203 for Mr. McCarthy, 212 for Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York and 10 for Rep. Andy Biggs (R., Ariz.), with nine votes for other current and former lawmakers including Rep. Jim Jordan (R., Ohio). The result put Mr. McCarthy short of the majority of lawmakers present and voting needed to secure the speakership. The speaker vote now goes to a second ballot, which hasn’t happened since 1923.

While the majority party has elected their nominee on the first ballot over the past century, this year could be different. Members vote "viva voice," meaning they stand when their names are called by a reading clerk and verbally announce who they are voting for. Members can vote for anyone (even people who are not members of the House), vote present, or not vote at all. If every member doesn't show up, or if some vote present instead of supporting a candidate, that decreases what the majority vote needs to be. Political parties are much stronger now than they were then, when House members were often more loyal to their region.

WASHINGTON — A weekslong standoff between Republican leader Kevin McCarthy and his conservative detractors comes to a head Tuesday as lawmakers prepare to vote on a new speaker of the House. But nine members of that group, including Freedom Caucus Chairman Scott Perry, R-Pa., characterized his proposals as too little, too late. "Despite some progress achieved," the Freedom Caucus group wrote, "Mr. McCarthy’s statement comes almost impossibly late to address continued deficiencies ahead of the opening of the 118th Congress on January 3rd." McCarthy, who has Trump's endorsement and easily defeated Biggs to win his party's nomination for speaker, isn’t backing down. He is already moving into the speaker’s suite, and upon leaving the Capitol on Monday he predicted that the day of the speaker vote would be a "good day."

☆ The ambitious career of Kevin McCarthy, GOP hopeful for Speaker of the House
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | Lauren Frias | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, is the GOP nominee for Speaker of the House. But the GOP House leader's bid for Speaker hangs in the balance as he scrambled for support to lock down the role. Democratic nominee for Speaker Hakeem Jeffries didn't lose a single Democratic vote in the House, getting 203 votes, but also failing to meet the 218-vote threshold to become Speaker. The last time a speaker election has gone to multiple votes was in 1923 when a Speaker of the House was elected after nine ballots. Just hours before the vote, McCarthy delivered an impassioned speech to his party in a last-minute attempt to secure support to cement the role.

☆ Kevin McCarthy loses first ballot for House speaker, with 19 hardline Republicans voting against him to show the would-be leader who's boss
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Warren Rojas | Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Rep. Kevin McCarthy is fighting an uphill battle to become House speaker. Nineteen Republicans voted against McCarthy's bid for speaker. The vote also marks the first time in 100 years that the House failed to elect a speaker on an initial ballot. Lawmakers, however, cannot take their oaths of office until a House speaker is elected. Here are the 19 Republicans who voted against McCarthy:

☆ Republican U.S. House to open in turmoil as McCarthy fights for gavel
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( David Morgan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

After four years as the Republican minority leader, McCarthy now needs at least 218 votes to succeed Democrat Nancy Pelosi as speaker. House Republicans are expected to meet face-to-face behind closed doors on Tuesday morning, ahead of the speaker election. While Republicans have won back the House, Democrats still hold the White House and Senate. 'TAKES TWO TO TANGO'The record number of voting rounds to elect a House speaker is 133 over a two-month period in the 1850s. The hardline Republican House Freedom Caucus is demanding rule changes that would enhance the group's influence.

☆ The House votes on a new speaker
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailThe House votes on a new speakerMembers of Congress nominate representatives Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Hakeem Jefferies (D-N.Y.) and Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) to be the next speaker of the House. The vote follows.

Democrats will wield an expanded 51-seat Senate majority and control the presidency. We need to be cutting spending,” McCarthy told reporters after a meeting with Senate Republicans on Dec. 21. There’s so much discombobulation and disunity on different sides of the Republican caucus,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., told reporters before the holiday recess. Conservative lawmakers say a GOP House should block a debt limit increase without major policy changes to rein in spending. Some House Republicans are already calling to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over his department's handling of immigration policy.

☆ Trump won't be able to terminate the US Constitution but a Republican-led effort to rewrite it continues
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Advocates on both sides of a long-running effort to rewrite the Constitution will face off again in 2023. Meckler's organization is one of the largest players in the Article V push. Article V requires there to be 34 states for a convention to be formed. Convention of States is not alone in its pursuit of the Article V movement. Outside of Convention of States, efforts to call a convention to pass a Balanced Budget Amendment also continue.

☆ At least 3 House GOP leaders who dodged Jan. 6 committee subpoenas plan to haul in witnesses for their own investigations in the 118th Congress
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The January 6 committee deposed over 1,000 witnesses about Trump's 2020 election fraud scheme. Seven House Republicans elected not to answer the committee's questions. Defying this probe could empower Democrats to do the same when Republicans take control in 2023. The highest profile holdouts include House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and House Judiciary Committee ranking member Jim Jordan of Ohio, who are vying to become House speaker and Judiciary chairman, respectively, in the next Congress after flipping control of the chamber this fall. January 6 committee members unanimously voted on December 19 to refer McCarthy, Jordan, Biggs, and Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania to the House Committee on Ethics for failing to comply with the subpeonas.

☆ Conservatives vying to derail Kevin McCarthy's speaker bid may not be able to stop him. But forcing multiple votes — the record is 133 — could still make for a historic fight.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Kevin McCarthy is working to clinch the votes needed to become House speaker in 2023. Around a dozen House Republicans currently have issues with giving him the job. Should getting a promotion require more than five dozen ballots, McCarthy would move into Howell Cobb territory (63 ballots; 1849). In order to push McCarthy past Banks in terms of all-time ballots, blockers would have to keep McCarthy at bay at least 134 times. "We may see the cherry blossoms before we have a Speaker," the Trump-aligned Floridian said, citing DC's seasonal spectacle.

But the visit also leaves several key questions unanswered, including how U.S. military support could evolve, whether Congressional support for the war will endure and - crucially - how the war will end. Biden announced that the United States would provide another $1.85 billion in military aid, including a Patriot missile defense system. The United States and its allies have been unwilling to provide other advanced weapons Ukraine has pleaded for. The next steps for Kyiv, the officials added, would be to receive additional air defense systems from the United States and other western countries along with better integrating them. "No more blank checks to Ukraine," Republican Representative Andy Biggs wrote on Twitter hours before Zelenskiy's visit to Washington.

Congress, currently controlled by Biden's Democrats, is expected to approve $44.9 billion more this week in a bill funding the federal government. Zelenskiy stressed as he began his speech that he was addressing both Democrats and Republicans. "No more blank checks to Ukraine," Republican Representative Andy Biggs wrote on Twitter hours before Zelenskiy's visit to Washington. Biggs, a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, has emerged as the main challenger to House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy in the House speakership election, slated for Jan. 3. Gaetz said nothing had changed his opposition to Ukraine aid and, when asked if there was anything compelling in the speech, said, "I loved the fashion choices."

"No more blank checks to Ukraine," Republican Representative Andy Biggs wrote on Twitter hours before Zelenskiy's visit to Washington. Biggs, a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, has emerged as the main challenger to House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy in the House speakership election, slated for Jan. 3. Many House Republicans insist that they do support Ukraine. "I hope all House Republicans will attend the Zelenskiy address this evening. And when they do, they should listen to President Zelenskiy describe the horror his people have endured at the hands of (Russian President) Vladimir Putin," Schumer said.

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