Early on Saturday, Republican Kevin McCarthy (CA) was voted in as speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.
However, in order to secure the position, he had to make numerous concessions to hardline conservatives, which has led to concerns about the party’s ability to effectively lead.
Representative Matt Gaetz’s (R-FL) decision to not vote on the 14th ballot led to a physical altercation between him and Mike Rogers.
McCarthy (57) eventually won the 15th ballot by a margin of 216-212, but his victory came with the support of fewer than half of the House members, as six members of his own party abstained from voting for him or any other candidate.
Upon taking the gavel for the first time, McCarthy officially ended the Democrats’ control over both chambers of Congress.
In his inaugural speech, McCarthy outlined a variety of priorities, including reducing spending, immigration reform, and cultural issues.
The new speaker’s leadership has been weakened by the hardliners’ demand that any lawmaker can call for his removal at any time.
This will make it difficult for him to pass legislation on important issues such as funding the government and addressing the nation’s debt ceiling.
The Republicans’ weaker-than-expected showing in the midterm elections left them with a narrow 222-212 majority, which has given greater influence to the right-wingers who opposed McCarthy’s leadership.
The concessions he was forced to make, including steep spending cuts and limitations on his own power, may foreshadow further turmoil in the coming months, particularly when Congress must decide on increasing the United States’ borrowing authority of $31.4 trillion.
“Our system is built on checks and balances. It’s time for us to be a check and provide some balance to the president’s policies,” McCarthy stated in his inaugural speech.
