On Saturday, President Joe Biden met Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), the new Speaker of the House, and said he was eager to work with McCarthy across the aisle.
Biden stated in a statement congratulating him on his new position as Speaker that the American people expect their leaders to rule in a way that puts their needs above all else.
After the midterms, I made it clear that I am willing to work with Republicans when feasible, and voters said that they want Republicans to be ready to work with me as well, he said. The new House leadership has been appointed. Therefore we can proceed with this.
McCarthy was elected as Speaker on the sixteenth and last round of voting, completed far after midnight on Saturday, after a week of meetings with Republican defectors and a dramatic Friday of voting. Republican Majority Leader McCarthy secured 216 votes to Democrat Hakeem Jeffries’ (NY) 212. The number of “present” votes contributed to the Republicans losing six votes when they defected.
According to Breitbart News’ Ashley Oliver, no speaker election has gone on for 15 or more rounds in the last 163 years. The reelection of then-Speaker Frederick Gillett took ten votes in 1923.
Biden stated, “as the last two years indicate, we can do significant things for the country.” We need responsible leadership that puts the needs of American families first right now.
McCarthy made this promise to the American people in his first speech before Congress. In his speech, he laid out the House Republicans’ legislative agenda for the next two years.
McCarthy also promised that the “very first bill” presented to a vote by House Republicans would pull back funding for 87,000 new IRS agents approved last year by a Congress controlled by the Democrats.
In addition, he emphasized the Republican Congress’s role in reining in the executive branch by saying, “Our system is founded on checks and balances.” It is time for us to challenge the president’s agenda and act as a check on his authority.