The Limited Times

Kevin McCarthy, in his first speech: "I never give up"

1/7/2023, 6:48:18 PM


The new speaker of the House of Representatives promises investigative commissions on the Biden government and on China, but at the same time calls for unity

Kevin McCarthy has released his speaker

deck

at dawn this Saturday in Washington, in the morning in mainland Spain.

The new president of the House of Representatives has begun to hold office after being elected in a dramatic session after four days that have led to a night of high tension.

McCarthy has given his first speech of the legislature in which he has set out his priorities with a hardly compatible mix of calls for unity and promises of harsh opposition to the Joe Biden government.

Visibly pleased with his agonizing appointment, he has said: "I hope one thing is clear after this week: I never give up."

When leaving the Capitol, before the press, the new speaker of the House has thanked, especially Donald Trump for his support.

The rebels who initially ignored the former president's request to support McCarthy have ended up facilitating his appointment.

In the photographs and television images of this Friday night, Marjorie Taylor-Greene, one of the congressmen closest to the former president, is seen handing her phone to one of the wayward members, on which the initials DT (for Donald Trump).

"I don't think anyone should doubt President Trump's influence on the vote," McCarthy told reporters.

She assured that she had made calls not only to him, but also to the rebels who had unstuck the situation.

To get the job he has had to make numerous concessions to his party's hard-liners and his first speech points to a fierce opposition program.

McCarthy has alluded to investigative commissions to demand responsibility from the "swamp" of Washington for the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, on the origins of the covid and on the alleged use of the FBI as a political weapon, referring to the record of the Donald Trump's mansion in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, for illegally taking secret documents from the White House.

He has promised to use "the power of subpoenas" for those investigations.

“We pledge to end Washington's waste to lower the price of food, gas, cars, housing, and stem the rising national debt.

We are committed to cutting the regulatory burden, reducing energy costs for families and creating well-paid jobs for workers, ”he continued exposing his program.

He has announced that the first bill will be to eliminate funding for the tax agency to hire 87,000 new employees, as provided for by the Biden-sponsored Reduction of Inflation Act.

“We are going to pass bills to fix the nation and its challenges of the wide-open southern border and to end

woke

[by progressive] indoctrination in our schools,” he has continued to expound on his program.

One of the first appearances will focus on the southern border, due to what he calls "a crisis of security and sovereignty."

"We must secure our borders," he said.

He will also propose creating a commission on China to recover the jobs that he claims went to that country and win the economic competition against the emerging power.

McCarthy points to the sign in his office after taking the oath. Jose Luis Magana (AP)

Open doors

McCarthy, who recalled that he is the son of a firefighter and the grandson of immigrants, has assured that he will open the Chamber to citizens: “I want to give all Americans a personal invitation.

You are welcome to see our work.

The doors will no longer be closed.

The debates will be open so that they can witness what happens in the Casa del Pueblo.

From the committee rooms to this chamber”.

He has told House Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries: "I promise our debates will be passionate, but they will never be personal."

And despite exposing that harshly opposed program, he has appealed to the spirit of Lincoln to call for unity: “I will work with each and every one who shares our passion to deliver a better future for the nation.

I hope you will join me as a Congress.

We can only function if we cooperate."

After his speech, he was sworn in and the rest of the representatives took it.

Relatives of the congressmen were present (children were already seen in the Chamber since Tuesday, since it is common for them to attend their parents' oath of office) and he apologized to them: “I knew it would take us a couple of extra days.

I'll be honest, it's not how I had planned it."

It's not how I had planned it, but it is what I had planned.

McCarthy was obsessed with getting the

speaker

's job and after a night of drama and tension, he has done it.

The session adjourned around 2:00 in the morning.

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