Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

"We're Going To...": Kevin McCarthy Ahead Of Final US House Speaker Votes

"We're Going To...": Kevin McCarthy Ahead Of Final US House Speaker Votes

The Republicans, who hold a razor-thin majority, were mired in internecine warfare after Kevin McCarthy lost a historic 11 consecutive ballots in the contest, with around 20 conservative hardliners blocking his path.
Republican frontrunner Kevin McCarthy took a significant step to becoming the new speaker of the US House of Representatives on Friday as he quelled a rebellion among his party's ranks that has paralyzed the lower chamber of Congress for four days.

The Republicans, who hold a razor-thin majority, were mired in internecine warfare after McCarthy lost a historic 11 consecutive ballots in the contest, with around 20 conservative hardliners blocking his path.

But the 57-year-old Californian was able to pick up 14 votes among the defectors in the 12th round on Friday after offering major concessions, in a development that McCarthyites hope will lead to more votes flipping.

It was the first time in the tense, drawn-out process that McCarthy has actually beaten his Democratic opposite number Hakeem Jeffries, although neither has achieved the outright majority required to win the speakership.

"Just reminds me of what my father always told me," McCarthy told reporters. "It's not how you start, it's how you finish. And now we have to finish for the American public."

There were even hopes that the Republican could get over the line in the 13th ballot, which came immediately after the 12th, although in the end the result was the same.

With the former storekeeper needing just three more votes for a majority in the 14th round -- and two of his absent allies expected to return to Washington within hours -- McCarthy secured an adjournment until 10:00pm (0300 GMT).

'We're going to shock you'

He told reporters he knew he was going to get enough votes Friday evening, "because I counted."

The wins vindicated the incongruous air of confidence McCarthy has exuded all week, even as he was bleeding votes and looking like a busted flush.

"We're going to shock you," he promised reporters early Friday as he strolled breezily into the Capitol, where there have already been more rounds of voting than in any speaker election since the Civil War.

Weary lawmakers-elect stuck in Washington voting day after day had been pessimistic about the prospects for a tipping point ahead of the weekend, with McCarthy showing no signs of adding to the base of around 200 Republicans who have backed him all along.

Chip Roy, seen as a figure of stability among the raucous anti-McCarthy group, was given credit for the apparent turnaround after voicing his belief that he could persuade around 10 colleagues to accept the mountain of concessions McCarthy has offered the hardliners.

But Democrats and some of McCarthy's supporters, in private, are concerned that he is offering his far-right critics radical policy commitments that will make the House ungovernable.

There were reports, which AFP has not verified, that McCarthy would propose a $75 billion cut in military spending, raising alarm among defense hawks pushing for the United States to project strength amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine and an emboldened Chinese stance on Taiwan.

'Wake-up call'

No single lawmaker, however senior, has the authority to set budgets but the fact that the suggestion was being taken underscores the Republicans' turn towards isolationism under the leadership of Donald Trump.

Other lawmakers-elect were complaining that McCarthy was handing the hardliners too much power with promises of plum committee posts and changes to the rules that would severely weaken the role of the speaker.

The renegade Republicans are understood to have flipped their votes in exchange for a rule changes making it easier to oust the speaker, reforms to how the House determines federal spending and more "conservative representation" in the chamber.

The fourth day of voting came as Democrats marked the second anniversary of the US Capitol riot by linking the violence to the chaos in the House.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the insurrection -- when a mob of Trump's supporters ransacked the Capitol -- should serve as a "wake-up call" for Republicans to reject extremism.

But he added "the utter pandemonium wrought by House Republicans this week is just one more example of how the extreme fringe of their party, led by election deniers, is pulling them further into chaos."
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Latvia to Bar Tourist and Occasional Buses to Russia and Belarus Until 2026
Wave of Complaints Against Apple Over iPhone 17 Pro’s Scratch Sensitivity
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Trump Says Ukraine Can Fully Restore Borders with NATO Backing
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Germany Weighs Excluding France from Key European Fighter Jet Programme
Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major European Airports
Björn Borg Breaks Silence: Memoir Reveals Addiction, Shame and Cancer Battle
When Extremism Hijacks Idealism: How the Baader-Meinhof Gang Emerged and Fell
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
Trump Orders $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Launches ‘Gold Card’ Immigration Pathway
France’s Looming Budget Crisis and Political Fracture Raise Fears of Becoming Europe’s “Sick Man”
Three Russian MiG-31 Jets Breach Estonian Airspace in ‘Unprecedentedly Brazen’ NATO Incident
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
×