JANUARY 2023

McCarthy's House Hustle And Its Implications

Bela Kumar

On January 7th, Kevin McCarthy was elected Speaker of the House after 15 ballots, marking the longest Speaker election since 1859. McCarthy had been a prominent leader in the Republican Party for years, a catalyst in creating the House Republican Economic Recovery Working Group along with Paul Ryan and Eric Cantor. The trio also wrote Young Guns later on, which critically analyzes the current climate of today’s GOP and is credited for gaining 63 seats in the House of Representatives. He spent over $100 million in securing a Republican majority in the House in the 2022 midterms. However, 20 far-right House Representatives repeatedly did not vote for McCarthy, many a part of the Freedom Caucus. Notable members include Matt Gaetz and Lauren Boebert. 

The 14th ballot was a particularly eventful one, as McCarthy was just one vote away from a victory. McCarthy was seen approaching Gaetz, passionately attempting to appeal to his fellow Congressman. Alabama’s Mike Rogers attempted to approach Gaetz but was restrained by others. After many concessions were made, the Republican was victorious and declared Speaker. At what cost were these concessions made?

For starters, this extreme group was offered over a third of the Republican seats on the Rules Committee in spite of their small size. The Rules Committee determines what legislation is debated and discussed. This may enable such a minority to block any Republican legislation, as Democrats will concur and vote against their efforts. Furthermore, they could insist on passing amendments blocking existing legislation they disapprove of. Mr. McCarthy also promised the Republican Party to not raise the limit on financing federal debt, as they would vouch for significant cuts on federal programs such as Social Security and Medicare. 

What is notably concerning as a citizen is the instability McCarthy’s concessions have the ability to cause. The motion to vacate in Congress triggers a vote to potentially remove the incumbent House Speaker, which has required five votes in recent years under former Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Representative McCarthy agreed to lower this number to one, which creates an unstable Congress, especially considering the lengths he went through to secure his position. This also causes McCarthy to become more inclined to make concessions for the Freedom Caucus in fear of losing his position. He may offer more pivotal committee roles to these individuals. 

McCarthy has also been elected House Speaker close to the two-year anniversary of the Capitol insurrection, where election deniers stormed the building and engaged in destructive behaviors. Some Democrats have accused the Speaker of allowing extremism to prevail by conceding to these twenty, likening the scenario to the Capitol riots. Congressman Swalwell writes: “Two years ago insurrectionists failed to take over the Capitol. Tonight Kevin McCarthy let them take over the Republican Party.” Will McCarthy’s concessions lead to chaos? We’ll find out.