After 15 Historic Ballots, US Parliament Elects New Speaker

After 15 Historic Ballots, US Parliament Elects New Speaker

The United States House of Representatives yesterday elected Mr. Kevin McCarthy as Speaker after 15 historic ballots.
After four days of lobbying and facing opposition from members of his party, Republican Party, McCarthy clinched the highly envied seat with 216 votes; putting him ahead of his competitor, Hakeem Jeffries, a democrat who got 212 votes.


McCarthy’s speakership bid was blocked by a rebellious group of far-right lawmakers from his party, who refused to back him.
In November, the Republicans took control of the House of Representatives by a slender margin of 222 to 212 in the 435-seat chamber – but the Democrats won the Senate.


The impasse is the longest since 1859 when the US House of Representatives failed to pick a speaker after 44 ballots.
The new Speaker’s emergence, according to Premium Times, came at a price including allowing any member of parliament to move for his removal from office.


Other compromises made by McCarthy, according to CNN, include moving 12 appropriations bills individually. Instead of passing separate bills to fund government operations, Congress frequently passes a massive year-end spending package known as an “omnibus” that rolls everything into one bill.
Conservatives rail against this, arguing that it evades oversight and allows lawmakers to stick in extraneous pet projects.


He also agreed to more Freedom Caucus representation on committees, including the powerful House Rules Committee. Also, lawmakers will have seventy-two hours to review bills before they come to floor.


An investigative committee will be created to probe the “weaponisation” of the federal government; and restoring the Holman rule, which can be used to reduce the salary of government officials.


While many argue that McCarthy’s compromises could end up making him a weak leader in one of the strongest political seats, AP argues that he could also be emboldened as a survivor of one of the more brutal fights for the gavel in US history.


“Not since the Civil War era has a speaker’s vote dragged through so many rounds of voting,” AP said.
In a tweet after his emergence, he tweeted “I hope one thing is clear after this week: I will never give up. And I will never give up for you, the American people.”
In his speech yesterday morning after he emerged, the hard work begins, he said, adding that his ultimate responsibility is not to his party, or the congress but to the US – “our country.”


The new Speaker said it was time for the parliament to be a check and provide balance to President Joe Biden’s policies.
As part of his plans for his tenure, McCarthy intends to win the economic competition with China by bringing back jobs that were taken by the latter.


“As for the Chinese Communist Party, we will create a bipartisan select committee on China to investigate how to bring back the hundreds of thousands of jobs that went to China and then we will win this economic competition,” he said.

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