Washington In the end, Republican Kevin McCarthy couldn’t hide the pressure he was under. For more than three days, opponents within the party had denied him election as the powerful Speaker of the House of Representatives. Outwardly he didn’t show any signs of nervousness: “Then I’ll just write history!” he shouted into the corridors of the congress, with a fixed smile.
But on Saturday night, in the 14th round of voting, McCarthy had enough. He marched to one of his biggest critics, right-wing hardliner Matt Gaetz, and tried to persuade him to vote yes. It was over with the composure of the past few days. Other members of parliament got involved, a scuffle ensued – and the world witnessed scenes that seem unworthy of the greatest western democracy. Nevertheless: After that, McCarthy was finally elected “Speaker of the House” on the 15th attempt, the third highest public office in the USA.
However, the McCarthy drama could just be the beginning of unpredictable times on Washington’s Capitol Hill – with potential consequences for European partners. McCarthy has concluded a kind of temporary truce with the ultra-right wing. But there are many indications that the Republican rebels will continue to exercise their power in the future.
Biden warns Republicans of chaos
The White House is already preparing for turbulent governance. US President Joe Biden’s written congratulations to McCarthy included a warning. He wrote that cutting social spending and the defense budget could not be done with him. “It is imperative that we defend our national security, not weaken it,” the President said, adding, “The American people expect the needs of their citizens to come before anything else. That’s exactly what we have to do now.”
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The warning comes in response to concessions McCarthy made to his critics in exchange for their support. Some Republicans want to cut military spending by $75 billion, which could also affect financial aid to Ukraine. It is unclear whether there will actually be cuts, as other Republicans want to keep spending at a high level. Cuts would also have to be approved by the democratically dominated Senate.
But “neo-isolationists” in the House of Representatives are threatening to block Ukraine funds. The US President had just announced the delivery of 50 Bradley combat vehicles for the Ukrainian military. Last week, Biden phoned Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who had previously confirmed Marder deliveries to Ukraine. The dispute is likely to flare up again during the next budget negotiations in autumn.
The US President at a ceremony marking the anniversary of the storming of the Capitol. His opponent McCarthy had also criticized the attack by fanatical Trump supporters on the Capitol.
(Photo: AP)
“It’s going to be an ongoing battle,” Republican Rep. Michael McCaul said of the coming months. According to his opponents, should McCarthy not be radical enough about certain demands in the future, they want to put pressure on him. Because in the future, every member of parliament will be able to demand a vote to remove McCarthy without any major hurdles – the Republican rebels also pushed through that. McCarthy will be a spokesman “in a straitjacket,” Gaetz threatened.
Gathering pool for radicals and conspirators
Florida Rep. Gaetz, 40, is one of 19 reps who consistently voted against McCarthy in the first few days. They are all members of the ultra-conservative, Trump-aligned “Freedom Caucus”, most funded by Donald Trump in November’s midterm elections. Twelve of them are still questioning Joe Biden’s election victory.
Even a small number of dissenters can make life difficult for McCarthy in the future, because the majority of Republicans in the chamber is small. The ultra-right wing is united by a drive to drastically reduce government influence and drain what they call the “swamp of the elites”. “They’re populists who are ‘anti, anti, anti’ but they don’t stand for anything on substance,” commented Republican pollster Whit Ayres. “It’s the same mindset that gave us Brexit,” he told Christian Science Monitor magazine.
The Republican was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives in the 15th ballot.
(Photo: IMAGO/UPI Photo)
Gaetz moved into the House of Representatives on the Trump wave of 2017, as did 35-year-old Lauren Boebert, who likes to pose in front of her packed gun display case. Rep. Paul Gosar, one of the most outspoken election deniers, was warned last year for making an animated video depicting the killing of leftist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
A hard core of six McCarthy opponents remained until the final ballot for speaker elections. In the end, the MPs switched from a “no” to abstentions, enabling McCarthy to win. They could not bring themselves to say “yes” – and accepted that other Republicans with private problems had to be present. A Texas congressman who had just given birth to a baby had to fly in, as did a congressman whose mother had died.
Trump was involved in the background
McCarthy is now President Biden’s biggest opponent in Washington. “Speakers of the House” decide which laws will be dealt with in the Chamber, they control the agenda on Capitol Hill. Most recently, Democrat Nancy Pelosi held the post. The Republicans won the House of Representatives in November’s midterm elections, while the US Democrats held the Senate.
In the future, the Republican spokesman will have the difficult task of maintaining pragmatic day-to-day business while keeping the right wing happy – and not alienating the moderate camp in the process. After all, opportunism is no stranger to McCarthy. During Trump’s tenure, he was a loyal defender of the president. He also supported Trump’s lie that the 2020 election was rigged.
However, McCarthy later condemned the storming of the Capitol by fanatical Trump supporters. “Who the hell do you think you’re talking to?” McCarthy yelled into the phone as Trump’s fans set Congress on fire. He later reconciled with Trump, which he happily shared with journalist Bob Woodward: “Kevin flew down to Mar-a-Lago to kiss my butt.”
But without Trump, according to Politico magazine, McCarthy would probably not have made it to the speaker’s post: The ex-president picked up the phone from his estate in Mar-a-Lago to draw dissenters to McCarthy’s side.
More: Comment – the Republicans are making kamikaze in Congress