GOP Rep. Says McCarthy ‘Smugly Rejected’ Key Proposal That Would’ve Gotten Him 218 Votes; Here are the Major Concessions McCarthy Made to Win Speakership
By Daily Caller. Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado said Tuesday that Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California “smugly rejected” a “common sense” proposal that would have secured him the speakership on the first ballot.
“I have been working for months behind the scenes to create unity,” Boebert told “Special Report” host Bret Baier. “Just last night two colleagues and myself walked into Kevin McCarthy’s office and presented him a very common sense proposal, a deal that got him 218 votes, the gavel on the first ballot and he smugly rejected that.”
McCarthy failed to garner the 218 votes needed to become speaker in three ballots Tuesday, receiving 203 votes in the first two ballots, before Republican Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida switched his vote to Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio on the third ballot, leaving the California Republican with 202. Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York secured 212 votes from Democrats in all three ballots.
“It was very common-sense things like putting forward a border security bill. Putting forward a term limits bill. Having a measure in place where any member of Congress who offers an amendment to reduce the federal debt, well, that’s made in order,” Boebert continued. (Read more from “GOP Rep. Says McCarthy ‘Smugly Rejected’ Key Proposal That Would’ve Gotten Him 218 Votes” HERE)
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Here are the Costly Concessions McCarthy Made to Win House Speaker
By Brian Bushard. McCarthy, who won the speakership after 15 rounds of voting, agreed to vote separately on the 12 different appropriation bills—from agriculture to defense spending to transportation—rather than allow them to be bundled together into an end-of-year omnibus spending bill. . .
McCarthy also agreed to cap discretionary spending at the levels they were at the beginning of the Biden Administration for both defense and domestic spending, as part of a commitment to balance the federal budget within 10 years. . .
In response to a letter from GOP members, McCarthy also agreed to create a subcommittee on the “Weaponization of the Federal Government,” which would be tasked with probing the federal government’s information collection on private individuals as well as its ongoing criminal investigations, potentially including the Department of Justice’s probe into classified documents at former President Donald Trump’s Mar-A-Lago estate. . .
In one of his biggest concessions, McCarthy agreed to lower the number GOP conference members needed to start a process of removing the speaker, known as a “motion to vacate,” from five to one—even though he previously said he wouldn’t budge on the number, and some Republicans worry it could bog down the House with weekly power struggles.
McCarthy also agreed to keep the Congressional Leadership Fund—a McCarthy affiliated super PAC—out of open House primary races for seats considered safe, and to appoint far-right House Freedom Caucus members to seats on the House Rules Committee.
Also: He promised to give House members 72 hours to review bills before they come to the floor, to require a vote to raise the federal debt limit and to hold votes on congressional term limits and a border security plan, multiple outlets reported. (Read more HERE)
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Matt Gaetz Demands Probe Into ‘Squatter’ Kevin McCarthy for ‘Occupying’ Speaker’s Office: ‘How Long Will He Remain?’
By Mediaite. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) wrote a letter to the Capitol Architect on Tuesday complaining about Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) “occupying” the speaker’s office.
In his letter, Gaetz noted McCarthy had failed earlier in the day to win the gavel after three rounds of voting and accused him of being a “squatter.” . . .
The Speaker of the House Office in the Capitol is currently being occupied by Kevin McCarthy.
Kevin McCarthy is not the Speaker of the House. He lost 3 consecutive votes today.
I’m demanding answers from the Architect of the Capitol. pic.twitter.com/AIZ8bFks6W
— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) January 4, 2023
McCarthy’s bid for speaker was largely set back by Gaetz, who is among a group of far-right Republicans who vowed to oppose him for months. He will presumably try again to reach a majority Wednesday when the House reconvenes for more voting. (Read more from “Matt Gaetz Demands Probe Into ‘Squatter’ Kevin McCarthy for ‘Occupying’ Speaker’s Office: ‘How Long Will He Remain?’” HERE)
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