New Congress Plagued the by House Speaker Vote
It is a new year and we now have a new Congress. Of course part of that process, ordinarily, includes a NEW Speaker of the House, in this case to replace the outgoing Nancy Pelosi. But at the time we went to air, we still had no new Speaker.
It certainly seems to me that polarizing Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy will be the next Speaker of the House. He seems to have the votes, but he is facing loud opposition from members of his own party.
Outgoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., gaveled out the 117th Congress Tuesday at noon. The 118th Congress has now begun . . . House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, R.-Calif., said he will continue to run for speaker of the new Republican majority as he faces opposition within his party.
"I'm not going anywhere," McCarthy told reporters after a private meeting with his party where he delivered a speech. "We did have an intense conference, and it's intense for a purpose."
There will be a vote held today in the House and McCarthy will need 218 votes to secure the role of Speaker. There seems to be five Republicans vocally opposing McCarthy as Speaker, including Rep. Lauren Boebert and Rep. Matt Gaetz. Many seem to believe McCarthy has been in Washington far too long and has become part of the D.C. swamp. And I do understand those frustrations, trust me. But we must look at the bigger picture right now. Every hour this holdout continues, is another hour of Republicans not getting their jobs done or representing the American people.
It’s important to understand the impending voting process for a new Speaker as well as the top candidate for the role. The longer this process takes, the longer it projects an image to America, and the world really, that Republicans – who narrowly regained control of the U.S. House of Representatives – can’t unify long enough to get their act together. And they’re giving President Biden more time to push the Left’s agenda while nobody is minding the store.
I could hear the frustration in some of our callers’ voices today. One essentially said she agreed with conservatives sticking together and that included blocking out a career politician (McCarthy) because he is a career politician. I understand that, but guess what? The runner-up to McCarthy for Speaker of the House is New York’s Democrat Rep. Hakeem Jeffries and you know his party is throwing its full support behind him. Do I think Jefferies will get the job? No. Am I comfortable with even five Republicans allowing it to be a consideration? Absolutely not.
Today’s full Sekulow broadcast includes further discussion on the vote for Speaker of the House, and many calls from passionate listeners who shared their feelings on whether McCarthy should or should not be given the job.
Watch the full broadcast below: