Republican favorite Kevin McCarthy was yesterday named speaker of the US House of Representatives as he quelled a fierce rebellion among his party’s ranks that had paralyzed the lower chamber of the US Congress for days.
However, Democrats and some of McCarthy’s supporters, in private, are concerned that he has been offering his far-right critics radical policy commitments that could make the House ungovernable.
There were reports, which Agence France-Presse has not verified, that he had agreed to propose keeping spending at last year’s levels, including a cap on military funding which would have the same effect as a US$75 billion cut.
Photo: Reuters
That has raised alarm among defense hawks pushing for the US to project strength amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and an emboldened Chinese stance on Taiwan.
McCarthy was always the frontrunner to lead the Republican-led House, but his victory in the small hours of the morning was almost derailed by a right-wing revolt in his party that extended the contest to 15 rounds of voting.
The speaker wields huge influence in Washington by presiding over House business and is second in line to the presidency, after the vice president.
As he accepted the gavel, McCarthy vowed House Republicans would “pass bills to fix the nation’s challenges, from the wide open southern border to ‘America last’ energy policies, to woke indoctrination in our schools.”
“America’s long-term challenges — the debt and the rise of the Chinese Communist Party — Congress must be with one voice on both of these issues,” he told the House.
US President Joe Biden congratulated McCarthy in a statement.
“As I said after the midterms, I am prepared to work with Republicans when I can and voters made clear that they expect Republicans to be prepared to work with me as well,” Biden said.
In Taipei, Legislative speaker You Si-kun (游錫?) congratulated McCarthy.
Yu wrote on Facebook that McCarthy is a friend and supporter of Taiwan and thanked him for supporting the nation.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also congratulated McCarthy, saying it looks forward to deepening cooperation with him and congressional friends from both US parties to strengthen Taiwan-US relations and promote peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.
McCarthy had been hoping to secure the gavel in the 14th voting round before midnight on Friday, but suffered a shock setback amid astonishing scenes of Republican infighting as he came up short of a majority by just one vote out of more than 400 cast.
The Republicans, who hold a razor-thin majority, had been mired in internecine warfare as McCarthy failed to win the speakership in multiple ballots, with about 20 representatives blocking his path since Tuesday.
There were more rounds of voting than in any speaker election since the Civil War.
Additional reporting by CNA and Bloomberg
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