long choice
On January 7, the US House of Representatives (the lower house of Congress, an analogue of the Russian State Duma) nevertheless elected a new speaker. They became the Republican leader Kevin McCarthy. The 57-year-old politician won by a narrow margin of four votes.
It was possible to elect the Speaker of the House of Representatives only for the 15th time. This precedent was the first such case in the last 100 years – for the previous century, it was possible to elect the speaker of the lower house on the first try. In 1923, the elections lasted nine rounds. And in 1859, American legislators elected Speaker of the House 44 times.
McCarthy got 216 votes in Congress, while his main rival, Democrat Judge Jeffreys, got 212. In the previous 14th round of voting, McCarthy received the same number of votes. However, the fact that six members of the House did not vote for any candidate in the 15th round gave the Republicans an advantage.
The speaker’s long-running election this year was due to the results of the House of Representatives elections in November: Republicans won most of the seats at the time, but the advantage was negligible – 213 seats against 222 for the Democrats.
During four days of 15 rounds of voting, US congressmen, primarily Republicans, “desperately bargained” with McCarthy, as the media wrote. As a result, the speaker managed to agree in his seat. But for this, he promised to disperse the seats on the committees at the request of his associates, to resign at the first request of the Republicans, and to organize a special investigation, which will be dealt with by investigators of the attack on the Capitol. On January 6, 2020 (materials related to this case were never published).
What’s wrong with Trump?
On January 5, before the sixth round of voting, former US President Donald Trump asked party members to support McCarthy’s candidacy and not to delay the presidential election.
“Republicans, don’t turn a great victory into a huge and hurtful defeat. McCarthy will do well. Or maybe it’s perfect. You’ll see!” Trump wrote.
However, his appeal was later unsuccessful. The day before, on January 6, Republican Matt Goetz nominated Trump as an alternative speaker. However, the former president is not a member of the House of Representatives, does not have the necessary votes for his support, and therefore did not become the speaker of the lower house of the American Parliament.
In response to such a nomination, Trump himself posted a hilarious picture on the social network Truth Social, where incumbent President Joe Biden speaks to Congress, with Vice President Kamala Harris behind him and Trump sitting in the speaker’s seat. In the political hierarchy of the United States, the speaker of the House of Representatives is the third person in the country after the head of state and vice president. Given that Trump has officially announced his intention to run in the 2024 presidential election, it would be a downgrade for him to preside over the lower house of Congress.
Who is McCarthy?
Kevin McCarthy was born in Bakersfield, California in 1965 and his family has lived there for four generations. He opened his own delicatessen business at the age of 20, so he was able to save money for his university education in two years.
He earned a master’s degree in business administration in 1994, but did not venture into business and entered politics – while still a student at McCarthy High, he interned with Republican Congressman Bill Thomas and eventually became a member of its headquarters.
McCarthy took a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2006 and was subsequently reelected multiple times. In 2014, the politician became the leader of the Republicans in the lower house. Its political assumptions are individual freedom, effective government, free markets. She has repeatedly campaigned for abortion freedom, and American environmental activists have named McCarthy her enemies.
McCarthy and his party members have in the past managed to thwart the largest tax increase in United States history, cut uncontrolled government spending, and pass bills to create jobs.
Before the Congressional midterm elections in November, McCarthy warned that if the Republicans win, they will limit Washington’s financial aid to Kiev. Before the New Year, Republican Party members also announced that the money sent by the USA to Ukraine will be subject to full control.
On January 6, Bloomberg reported that McCarthy is proposing to cut the new US defense budget by $75 billion, the amount the country’s military spending has increased from last year. The agency noted that the initiative will likely garner support not only from Democrats but also from other Republicans.
After his election, McCarthy announced plans to tackle the government’s “wasteful” spending and the growth of the US national debt. It also announced the formation of a special committee to develop a strategy to bring back “hundreds of thousands of jobs going to China.” The speaker has made radical statements regarding relations with Beijing in the past and has called for “to put China in place”.
What is the world saying about McCarthy?
Even before McCarthy was elected, President Joe Biden commented on the protracted presidential election, calling the situation embarrassing for the country. “The situation that Congress cannot handle is simply embarrassing. We are the largest country in the world. How is this possible? – Said the owner of the White House.
However, after McCarthy’s election, Biden and his wife congratulated the new president, while the president expressed his readiness to work with Republicans in Congress.
American businessman Elon Musk, founder of Tesla and SpaceX, also supported the Republican nomination. “Kevin McCarthy should be a speaker,” Musk tweeted.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also took to Twitter to congratulate McCarthy immediately after the vote.
“Congratulations to Kevin McCarthy on his election to Speaker of the US House of Representatives. U.S. support in all areas is vital to Ukraine’s success on the battlefield,” Zelensky said, adding that Kiev expects more help from Washington.
American Malek Lipov statedMcCarthy’s protracted election shows a split within the Republican Party. Therefore, the new speaker will have to constantly work in search of compromise.
“The far right can now take over the posts of committee chairs, including the defense committee. As we know, McCarthy also had to guarantee a cap on US spending. This is exactly what the opposition, who wants to avoid a budget deficit, wants to avoid, says the expert.
With McCarthy’s arrival, it will be more difficult for Biden to promote his ideas in Congress, Lipov said. Therefore, the volume of US financial aid to Ukraine may decrease.