House Lawmakers Work On Funding Deal As Possible Government Shutdown Looms

Kevin McCarthy Tells The GOP How To Not Get Crushed In 2026

2026 elections

DW Opinion

Kevin McCarthy

Republicans

&#8220;CBS Mornings&#8221; host Nate Burleson asked former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) on Thursday whether the horrific assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk would be a good opportunity for Republicans to consider how they might be contributing to a culture of political violence.
Steve Guest shared video, along with the comment, &#8220;In the wake of Charlie Kirk being assassinated, CBS Mornings host Nate Burleson tells former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy that it&#8217;s REPUBLICANS that really need to watch their rhetoric.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
In the wake of Charlie Kirk being assassinated, CBS Mornings host Nate Burleson tells former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy that it&#8217;s REPUBLICANS that really need to watch their rhetoric:
&#8220;Speaking of this tragedy, is this a moment for your party to reflect on political… <a href="https://t.co/qQvgUzO6Bk">pic.twitter.com/qQvgUzO6Bk</a>
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) <a href="https://twitter.com/SteveGuest/status/1966109078863646978?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Not everyone took to his words or his rhetoric,&#8221; Burleson began. &#8220;You know, at times, they were offensive to specific communities. But with that said, this is not the time to focus on that; we are focused on this tragedy.&#8221;
The former NFL wide receiver then pivoted to effectively blame Republicans for the fact that people were shooting at them, saying, &#8220;Speaking of this tragedy, is this a moment for your party to reflect on political violence? Is it a moment for us to think about the responsibility of our political leaders and their voices and what it does to the masses as they get lost in misinformation or disinformation that turns in and spills into political violence?&#8221;
Cohost Gayle King attempted a rescue, interjecting, &#8220;I say both parties!&#8221;
&#8220;I don&#8217;t even say parties, I say a nation,&#8221; McCarthy pushed back. &#8220;There&#8217;s a moment that I want to look to, and I went back and I watched this again. When Robert F. Kennedy is running and he&#8217;s in Indianapolis, and he just got the news that Martin Luther King was killed. And he has to tell the crowd, because we don&#8217;t have social media at that time.&#8221;
&#8220;And it was remarkable the words he said,&#8221; McCarthy continued. &#8220;He said, &#8216;We have to ask as a nation, who are we? And how do we want to move forward?&#8217; We have watched this political attack on both sides — we watched what happened in Minnesota. We watched what happened to President Trump.&#8221;
McCarthy went on to note that Kirk was not an elected official and was actively encouraging even those who disagreed with him to stand up and discuss their ideas.
&#8220;We do not want to go back to the 60s,&#8221; cohost Tony Dokoupil remarked, noting the violence that rocked the nation then as well.

InStyle 30th Birthday Celebration

CBS Host Wonders When Republicans Will Accept ‘Responsibility’ For People Shooting At Them

assassination

CBS News

CBS This Morning

Charlie Kirk

Media

Political Violence

Politics

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) set a new record on Thursday when his &#8220;Magic Minute&#8221; dragged on for more than eight hours and 33 minutes, challenging even his most ardent supporters&#8217; commitment to keeping their eyes open so that they could watch him meet that milestone.
While the House of Representatives does not have the filibuster — a fact that mercifully spares members from stunts of this caliber most of the time — there is a privilege afforded to party leaders known as the &#8220;Magic Minute,&#8221; which essentially allows them to speak uninterrupted for as long as they&#8217;d like. Jeffries made use of that privilege, but only C-Span appeared to notice when he broke the record set by former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy when he was the Minority Leader.
&#8220;MAGIC MINUTE&#8221; RECORD: On Nov. 18-19, 2021, then Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy spoke on the House floor for a record 8 hours and 32 minutes. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries began his floor remarks at 4:53am ET – 8 hours and 33 minutes ago,&#8221; the post read.
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&#8220;MAGIC MINUTE&#8221; RECORD:
On Nov. 18-19, 2021, then Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy spoke on the House floor for a record 8 hours and 32 minutes.
Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries began his floor remarks at 4:53am ET – 8 hours and 33 minutes ago. <a href="https://t.co/jHjfBs6njh">pic.twitter.com/jHjfBs6njh</a>
— CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1940824776798621849?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 3, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Even after it became clear that the Republicans had the votes to pass President Donald Trump&#8217;s One Big, Beautiful Bill, Jeffries continued to speak — turning what was already a stunt of epic proportions into an futile effort to filibuster the inevitable: his party had already lost.
Jeffries was an outspoken critic of the Senate filibuster when it was being used by Republicans — calling it a &#8220;Jim Crow relic&#8221; among other things — and his record-setting floor speech ultimately accomplished little more than reminding his critics of his own words, which they happily used against him.
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When Jeffries finally chucked it in after eight hours and 44 minutes, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) stepped up for his bite at the apple, but to the great relief of everyone present, he used his Magic Minute to move things along relatively quickly — but he couldn&#8217;t resist a jab at Jeffries.
&#8220;You know, Ronald Reagan said one time that no speech should be longer than 20 minutes. And unlike the Democrat leader, I&#8217;m going to honor my colleague&#8217;s time and be a little more brief than that,&#8221; Johnson said to laughter and applause.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Speaker Mike Johnson: &#8220;You know, Ronald Reagan said one time that no speech should be longer than 20 minutes. And unlike the Democrat leader, I&#8217;m going to honor my colleague&#8217;s time and be a little more brief than that.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/6GroxviLQX">pic.twitter.com/6GroxviLQX</a>
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) <a href="https://twitter.com/NEWSMAX/status/1940830215250346097?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 3, 2025</a></blockquote>
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He took another shot at Jeffries a short time later, adding, &#8220;It makes no difference whether our colleagues across the chamber speak for 25 minutes or 25 hours. They can&#8217;t change the truth. Today was about performance for some of them, but today for us is about results.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerJohnson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SpeakerJohnson</a>: &#8220;It makes no difference whether our colleagues across the chamber speak for 25 minutes or 25 hours. They can&#8217;t change the truth. Today was about performance for some of them, but today for us is about results.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/Ufxc6CVAna">pic.twitter.com/Ufxc6CVAna</a>
— CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1940834391728455706?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 3, 2025</a></blockquote>
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US House Nears Passage Of Trump’s Tax Bill After All-Nighter

Hakeem Jeffries Smashes ‘Magic Minute’ Record And No One But C-Span Cares

Congress

Hakeem Jeffries

House of Representatives

Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) accused CNN of skewed coverage against former President Donald Trump and other Republicans during a heated interview over the weekend.
McCarthy made the remarks on Sunday to CNN reporter Manu Raju on the network&#8217;s &#8220;Inside Politics&#8221; program.
&#8220;Is it a good idea that Donald Trump is the nominee? The answer is 100 percent yes,&#8221; McCarthy said. &#8220;Will Donald Trump win this presidency? The answer is yes. And it&#8217;s interesting. I was watching the earlier part of your show and I get it. The verdict has just come in, and the question is, should it even have gone to trial? The majority of Americans understand that if Donald Trump did not run for president, this never would even gone to trial.&#8221;
He then listed numerous problems he had with the case, including the prosecution&#8217;s bias, the fact that the previous prosecutor declined to bring the case, the DOJ&#8217;s not charging Trump related to the case, and the FEC&#8217;s not raising concerns over the matter at hand.
McCarthy added that most of the country was concerned about President Joe Biden&#8217;s presidency and that &#8220;at the end of the day Democrats have overplayed their hand.&#8221;
&#8220;And it happens in world history when someone persecutes a political enemy simply because they&#8217;re political enemy, it usually backfires on them and it creates a movement,&#8221; he said.
When Raju continued to harp over the hush money payment to an adult film actress during Trump&#8217;s first campaign, McCarthy responded: &#8220;If you go with this premise that this is something illegal, what was in the law that this broke? Then you would go back and should Hillary Clinton be tried because she paid a law firm to create a fictitious Russia issue.&#8221;
&#8220;I&#8217;m not talking about Hillary Clinton,&#8221; Raju snapped back.
&#8220;I know you&#8217;re not talking about that, but the American public is going to look at all this is. This isn&#8217;t just a CNN question. You&#8217;re asking what does the American public look at?&#8221; McCarthy responded. &#8220;You had Joe Biden go out and tell the American public that the laptop wasn&#8217;t true. You had this network say a dubious, doubtful about it. I mean, people put it in perspective. Was this politically motivated that you even took him to court about this? The answer is overwhelming yes.&#8221;
When Raju highlighted a clip and suggested Trump did not have the character to be president, McCarthy noted that voters would base their decision on what&#8217;s best for the country.
&#8220;We didn&#8217;t have inflation. We didn&#8217;t have war in Europe. We didn&#8217;t have five embassies evacuated,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We didn&#8217;t have 13 Gold Star families by a missed decision in Afghanistan. We didn&#8217;t have this new axis of evil that we haven&#8217;t seen from the 1930s, pushing China to Russia&#8211;&#8221;
When Raju suggested that McCarthy was indicating that character didn&#8217;t matter, McCarthy fired back: &#8220;Is there a character matter when you say Biden used his own power to tell the American public that the laptop was not true? That Biden use now through the secretary of state to go to 51 people in the intel community, former CIA directors, to tell the American public that that wasn&#8217;t true.&#8221;
&#8220;I&#8217;m weighing it all. I&#8217;m being consistent. You&#8217;re being inconsistent in this if you listen,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;Think for one moment you&#8217;re saying only character matters and you&#8217;re only going after Trump. People are human in this place of where we go. This is a decision of an issue that people knew about since 2016. So they voted on it.&#8221;
When pressed over whether Trump would accept the results of the election, McCarthy noted that Hillary Clinton didn&#8217;t accept the results of the 2016 election.
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&#8220;Look, I watched Raskin. I&#8217;ve watched Stacey Abrams,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Democrats have challenged &#8212; this is a question you should have for Democrats as well. I know what network I&#8217;m on, but this is what&#8217;s interesting to me.&#8221;
When Raju tried to stop him from talking, McCarthy said: &#8220;No, wait a minute. Let me answer a question, come on. Don&#8217;t be so nervous.&#8221;
&#8220;Democrats have challenged every single Republican elected to president since George Bush. Raskin challenged that even Trump should be impeached before he was even sworn in,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I mean, this is a question that for the whole American public, that we&#8217;ve got to get beyond this.&#8221;
WATCH:
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McCarthy Presser Sept 29

Kevin McCarthy Accuses CNN Of Media Bias During Heated Interview

Bias

Donald Trump

Legacy Media

Mainstream Media

Media Bias

Former House Speaker <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kevin-mccarthy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kevin McCarthy</a> (R-CA) suggested over the weekend that he would be open to returning to serve in the U.S. government in some capacity if former President Donald Trump wins back the White House this fall.
McCarthy made the remarks during a Sunday interview with CBS News&#8217; Margaret Brennan on &#8220;Face The Nation&#8221; after talking about the Republicans&#8217; majority in the House continuing to shrink after several members announced that they were resigning.
&#8220;Do you have plans to return to government potentially in a Trump administration?&#8221; Brennan asked.
&#8220;Look, I have always said I will serve whichever way if I&#8217;m the best person for the job,&#8221; McCarthy responded. &#8220;But I think people worried about whether they get a job in the next administration is the wrong place to be. You first have to have the election. I think you should be going out to the American public and showing them, yes, with President Trump get elected, we would have a secure border.&#8221;
&#8220;We&#8217;d have a stronger economy,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;We wouldn&#8217;t be evacuating five embassies. We wouldn&#8217;t have war around the world. We would be much stronger and the future would be much brighter.&#8221;
Brennan, an avowed leftist, repeatedly interrupted and claimed that McCarthy&#8217;s statements were &#8220;counterfactuals.&#8221;
&#8220;I don&#8217;t think so,&#8221; McCarthy fired back. &#8220;I served with both presidents. That&#8217;s exactly the situation today. We have evacuated five embassies under President Biden. We&#8217;ve had high inflation under President Biden. We have a wide-open border. We have people who are on the terrorist watch list, more people in one month of February getting across our border than the entire time when President Trump was in office.&#8221;
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WATCH:
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Rep. Kevin McCarthy

Kevin McCarthy Weighs In On Returning To Government If Trump Wins

2024 Election

With the exit of another member of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/congress" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Congress</a>, the GOP&#8217;s narrow majority in the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/u-s-house-of-representatives" target="_blank" rel="noopener">House</a> got even smaller — a slim margin that has complicated matters for leadership when it comes to key issues.
The House <a href="https://twitter.com/CraigCaplan/status/1749463468720206234" target="_blank" rel="noopener">confirmed</a> on Monday the resignation of Rep. Bill Johnson (R-OH), who left office to <a href="https://www.wfmj.com/story/50294578/bill-johnson-to-begin-serving-as-ysu-president-earlier-than-expected-resigns-from-congress" target="_blank" rel="noopener">become president</a> of Youngstown State University, making the party breakdown 219 Republicans and 213 Democrats.
There are now three vacancies in the 435-member chamber. Lawmakers voted to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-votes-to-expel-george-santos" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expel</a> Rep. George Santos (R-NY) following the release of a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/george-santos-says-he-wont-seek-re-election-after-release-of-ethics-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">scathing ethics report</a> in December. After losing the speakership in October, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kevin-mccarthy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rep. Kevin McCarthy</a> (R-CA) opted to leave Congress at the end of last year.
A special election for the seat vacated by Santos is <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/george-santos-congress-special-election-long-island-queens/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">set for mid-February</a>. California <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/newsom-announces-dates-for-special-election-to-replace-mccarthy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has settled on</a> a March 19 primary and general election on May 21 <a href="https://twitter.com/rpyers/status/1744420082577559917" target="_blank" rel="noopener">if no candidate</a> beats the 50% threshold in the primary to replace McCarthy. Ohio is <a href="https://spectrumnews1.com/oh/columbus/news/2024/01/04/special-election-for-ohio-congress-seat" target="_blank" rel="noopener">going with</a> a special election primary for Johnson&#8217;s vacant seat on March 19 and a general election on June 11.
Beyond vacancies, House Republicans are temporarily short a couple of men due to medical reasons. Rep. Hal Rogers (R-KY) is <a href="https://halrogers.house.gov/press-releases?ID=5F7349B9-2573-463F-A600-DB1A11B685BF" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recovering</a> from a back injury he sustained in a motor vehicle collision this month. And Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) has been away from Washington to <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4391685-scalise-stem-cell-transplant-cancer/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">undergo a stem cell transplant</a> as he battles <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rep-steve-scalise-delivers-update-on-cancer-battle" target="_blank" rel="noopener">blood cancer</a>.
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Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green (R-TN) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/homeland-security-chair-says-we-have-the-votes-to-impeach-mayorkas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">acknowledged</a> in a Fox interview over the weekend that one of the &#8220;challenges&#8221; the GOP faces in its effort to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is members being out for &#8220;medical issues,&#8221; but he suggested a House floor vote could happen sometime after early February.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mike-johnson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Speaker Mike Johnson</a> (R-LA) recently spoke about the political situation for House Republicans as he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-passes-rule-in-second-attempt-johnson-ducks-gop-revolt-for-now" target="_blank" rel="noopener">faces pushback</a> from a group of conservatives, including members of the Freedom Caucus, amid negotiations on spending and border security with a Senate and White House that are controlled by Democrats.
&#8220;Everyone understands the reality of where we are,&#8221; Johnson <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/19/us/politics/mike-johnson-republican-majority.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> at a news conference last week. &#8220;The House Republicans have the second-smallest majority in history. We&#8217;re not going to get everything that we want. But we&#8217;re going to stick to our core conservative principles.&#8221;

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson

Slim House GOP Majority Gets Narrower

House Republicans

Mike Johnson

Steve Scalise

U.S. House of Representatives

House Speaker <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mike-johnson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mike Johnson</a> (R-LA) could be on the verge of facing a no-confidence vote through the same process that removed his predecessor, Rep. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kevin-mccarthy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kevin McCarthy</a> (R-CA), as speaker last year.
Rep. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/author/rep-chip-roy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chip Roy</a> (R-TX), a member of the conservative Freedom Caucus, said on Tuesday that he would not rule out using the &#8220;motion to vacate&#8221; mechanism against Johnson amid objections to a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-and-senate-leaders-reach-spending-deal-johnson-touts-concessions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">government spending framework</a> released by congressional leaders over the weekend and a warning about an impending border security deal.
&#8220;I&#8217;m leaving it on the table. I&#8217;m not gonna say I&#8217;m gonna go file it tomorrow night. I&#8217;m not saying I&#8217;m not gonna file it tomorrow. I think the speaker needs to know that we&#8217;re angry about it,&#8221; Roy <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDjY0NY5VUQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told BlazeTV host Steve Deace</a>.
Concessions made during McCarthy&#8217;s rise to the speakership early last year restored the ability of a single member to trigger the “motion to vacate” process that would lead to a no-confidence vote. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fallout-and-triumphs-from-the-matt-gaetz-coup" target="_blank" rel="noopener">did just that</a> in early October after the House <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-passes-stopgap-spending-measure-with-no-additional-support-for-ukraine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passed a stop-gap spending measure</a> to prevent a government shutdown. He and seven other Republicans joined with Democrats to remove McCarthy from the speakership. Since then, Johnson got elected speaker and McCathy has left Congress.
Roy said he publicly voiced opposition to the effort to rip the speaker&#8217;s gavel from McCarthy. He noted some frustrations with what transpired under the California Republican&#8217;s leadership, but also acknowledged progress with spending caps getting implemented and conservatives achieving &#8220;some success&#8221; as lawmakers began advancing <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4224579-house-gop-advances-four-spending-bills-after-failed-attempts/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">individual spending bills</a> as opposed to omnibus legislation that would combine them.
While Johnson touted a &#8220;topline&#8221; $1.59 trillion figure for the fiscal 2024 appropriations process along with &#8220;concessions&#8221; as part of an agreement with congressional Democrats, Roy suggested it ignores options devised under McCarthy that offered more financial restraints and contains <a href="https://twitter.com/RepChipRoy/status/1744778877845610530" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&#8220;budget gimmicks&#8221;</a> that increase spending above the <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-house-vote-166-trillion-funding-bill-shutdown-deadline-nears-2022-12-23/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$1.66 trillion fiscal 2023 omnibus spending bill</a> negotiated under then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/HouseGOP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HouseGOP</a> FAILED to use its leverage to force cuts to inflationary spending
We must reject this &quot;deal&quot; w/ Dems that will INCREASE spending by ~$30 BILLION &amp; fund agencies at war with our liberty &amp; security &#8211; like Mayorkas&#39; DHS<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NoGimmicks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NoGimmicks</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NoSideDeals?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NoSideDeals</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NoSecurityNoFunding?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NoSecurityNoFunding</a> <a href="https://t.co/XRBmzUshyz">pic.twitter.com/XRBmzUshyz</a>
&mdash; Rep. Chip Roy Press Office (@RepChipRoy) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepChipRoy/status/1744778877845610530?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Roy told Deace he will reserve judgment until he sees what &#8220;policy riders&#8221; might come out of negotiations. But he isn&#8217;t getting his hopes up after a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/congress-passes-886-billion-defense-policy-bill-with-military-pay-raise-spy-tool-extension-and-ukraine-aid" target="_blank" rel="noopener">defense policy bill</a> that included a FISA section 702 surveillance extension and &#8220;basically got rid of all of our DEI and CRT stuff,&#8221; as well as another stopgap spending measure.
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Democrats warned House Republicans not to include &#8220;poison pill policy changes&#8221; in any of the fiscal 2024 spending bills or risk losing their support. President Joe Biden also released a statement that said &#8220;congressional Republicans must do their job, stop threatening to shut down the government, and fulfill their basic responsibility to fund critical domestic and national security priorities.&#8221;
The prospect of another government shutdown looms <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/johnson-led-house-passes-bill-to-avert-government-shutdown-with-dem-support" target="_blank" rel="noopener">as a two-step continuing resolution (CR) passed in November</a> funds certain federal agencies through January 19 while others would get money through February 2. Separately, lawmakers in the Senate are holding bipartisan talks on a deal to tie border security reforms to supplemental national funds for U.S. allies such as Ukraine and Israel.
&#8220;If they totally botch it — we get no policy reforms and we&#8217;re spending $1.66 trillion, I don&#8217;t know why we would keep him as speaker,&#8221; Roy said, adding later that he would fight &#8220;$60 billion on Ukraine and bull crap border security&#8221; reforms after the GOP-led House passed its own border security bill last year that the Democrat-led Senate refuses to consider.

Rep. Chip Roy

House Republican Won’t Rule Out ‘Motion To Vacate’ Against Speaker Johnson

House Republican Won't Rule Out 'Motion To Vacate' Against Speaker Johnson

Budget

Chip Roy

Government Shutdown

Matt Gaetz

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/california" target="_blank" rel="noopener">California</a> Democratic Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/gavin-newsom" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gavin Newsom</a> announced on Monday the dates for a special election for the person who will serve the remainder of former <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kevin-mccarthy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rep. Kevin McCarthy</a>&#8216;s term (R-CA) following his retirement.
The primary will be held on March 19, Newsom declared in a proclamation and accompanying <a href="https://www.gov.ca.gov/2024/01/08/governor-newsom-declares-special-election-for-20th-congressional-district/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>, and a special election is scheduled for May 21 <a href="https://twitter.com/rpyers/status/1744420082577559917" target="_blank" rel="noopener">if it is needed</a>.
California has primary system in which candidates regardless of party compete in <a href="https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/primary-elections-california" target="_blank" rel="noopener">races for certain offices</a>, including those in Congress. In special elections, a candidate can win in the primary outright with more than 50% of the vote. If no one reaches the threshold, <a href="https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/primary-elections-california" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a run-off will follow</a> — the May date in this case.
The announcement by Newsom solidifies a schedule in which the special election primary will be separated from California&#8217;s 2024 primary, which <a href="https://www.kcra.com/article/gov-newsom-announces-special-election-for-kevin-mccarthys-congressional-seat/46318169" target="_blank" rel="noopener">is set for March 5</a>.
McCarthy, who represented the Central Valley-area 20th Congressional District, left the House at the end of 2023 roughly halfway into his two-year term a couple months after he lost the speakership in a no-confidence vote. Rep. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mike-johnson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mike Johnson</a> (R-LA) eventually got elected by his peers to become the new speaker.
“I will continue to recruit our country’s best and brightest to run for elected office,&#8221; McCarthy said in announcing his ouster in early December. &#8220;The Republican Party is expanding every day, and I am committed to lending my experience to support the next generation of leaders.&#8221;
A number of GOP candidates are vying to represent the Republican-leaning district, including Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux and David Giglio, a <a href="https://abc30.com/vince-fong-kevin-mccarthy-california-seat-20th-district/14172715/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">businessman</a> who is running under an “America First” banner. McCarthy has <a href="https://www.kget.com/news/politics/your-local-elections/kevin-mccarthy-endorses-assemblyman-vince-fong-for-congress/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">endorsed</a> Assemblymember Vince Fong.
In the intervening months, the GOP-led House will contend with an ever-shrinking Republican majority that was slim from the beginning. The thin margin is exacerbated in the short term by Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) temporarily being away from Washington to <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4391685-scalise-stem-cell-transplant-cancer/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">undergo a stem cell transplant</a> as he battles <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rep-steve-scalise-delivers-update-on-cancer-battle" target="_blank" rel="noopener">blood cancer</a>.
Lawmakers voted to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-votes-to-expel-george-santos" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expel</a> now-former Rep. George Santos (R-NY) in December, and a special election for his seat is <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/george-santos-congress-special-election-long-island-queens/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">set for mid-February</a>. Another member, Rep. Bill Johnson (R-OH), is <a href="https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2024/01/02/congress/bill-johnson-plans-resignation-january-youngstown-state-house-00133496" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expected to leave</a> on January 21 to become president of Youngstown State University.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/congress" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Congress</a> is currently grappling with a number of pressing issues, including working out a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-and-senate-leaders-reach-spending-deal-johnson-touts-concessions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deal on spending</a> to avert a government shutdown, a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gop-senate-negotiator-hopes-for-border-deal-this-week" target="_blank" rel="noopener">border security deal</a> tied to aid for U.S. allies, and impeachment proceedings <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-votes-to-formally-authorize-biden-impeachment-inquiry" target="_blank" rel="noopener">against President Joe Biden</a> and <a href="https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/mayorkas-border-impeachment-18595978.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas</a>.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.

Newsom Announces Dates For Special Election To Replace McCarthy

California

Gavin Newsom

U.S.

Days after leading a successful revolt against Speaker <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kevin-mccarthy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kevin McCarthy</a> (R-CA), Rep. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/matt-gaetz" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Matt Gaetz</a> (R-FL) said the gambit was &#8220;absolutely&#8221; worth potentially losing his seat in the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/u-s-house-of-representatives" target="_blank" rel="noopener">House</a>.
&#8220;Look, I am here to fight for my constituents. And I&#8217;m here to ensure that America&#8217;s not on a path to financial ruin,&#8221; Gaetz told NBC&#8217;s Kristen Welker on &#8220;Meet the Press&#8221; in an interview <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/meet-press-october-8-2023-n1307318" target="_blank" rel="noopener">that aired on October 8</a>. Gaetz also decried what he said was a lack of a &#8220;plan&#8221; on spending after <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-passes-stopgap-spending-measure-with-no-additional-support-for-ukraine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the House</a> passed a short-term spending bill to avert a government shutdown in late September.
<div id="attachment_631565" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-631565" class="wp-image-631565 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/10/GettyImages-1704948598-scaled-e1696534939411-864x576.jpg" alt="Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) leaves the U.S. Capitol after U.S. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was ousted form his position, October 3, 2023 in Washington, DC." width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/10/GettyImages-1704948598-scaled-e1696534939411-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/10/GettyImages-1704948598-scaled-e1696534939411-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/10/GettyImages-1704948598-scaled-e1696534939411-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/10/GettyImages-1704948598-scaled-e1696534939411.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Drew Angerer/Getty Images</div>
Fast-forward 11 weeks and Gaetz is still in office while McCarthy is <a href="https://twitter.com/therecount/status/1737195060435808682" target="_blank" rel="noopener">set to retire</a> early at the end of the year.
The GOP-controlled House, now led for roughly two months by Speaker <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mike-johnson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mike Johnson</a> (R-LA), has made some <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/09/politics/house-republicans-government-funding/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">progress</a> in approving more <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/14/us/politics/government-shutdown-vote-mike-johnson.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">single-subject</a> spending bills instead of resorting to &#8220;omnibus&#8221; legislation — a stated priority for Gaetz — albeit with a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/johnson-led-house-passes-bill-to-avert-government-shutdown-with-dem-support" target="_blank" rel="noopener">two-step or &#8220;laddered&#8221;</a> continuing resolution to keep the government funded through early next year and <a href="https://rollcall.com/2023/11/15/house-headed-home-after-defeat-of-rule-for-iran-spending-bills/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">familiar struggles</a> to <a href="https://twitter.com/JakeSherman/status/1717201849525194845" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stay on schedule</a>.
Though he opposed the latest stop-gap spending measure, Gaetz <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/matt-gaetz-mike-johnson-cr-shutdown-kevin-mccarthy-1843487" target="_blank" rel="noopener">asserted to CNN</a> last month that Johnson &#8220;<a href="https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/cnap/date/2023-11-13/segment/01" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has shown a commitment</a> and a sincerity in this process that was totally absent under Kevin McCarthy.&#8221;
Gaetz may like what he is seeing with Johnson as speaker, but House Republicans still face the reality of having to contend with a Democrat-led Senate and a Democrat in the White House. All the while Congress is facing a public opinion crisis — <a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/approval/congress/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">with less than 20% approval</a>, according to FiveThirtyEight&#8217;s poll tracker — and data reported by Axios showing that 2023 had the <a href="https://www.axios.com/2023/12/19/118-congress-bills-least-unproductive-chart" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fewest number of laws passed</a> in decades.
And there is uncertainty in the long run when it comes to the new speaker&#8217;s effectiveness on a number of fronts.
<div id="attachment_642951" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-642951" class="size-large wp-image-642951" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/10/GettyImages-1240599505-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/10/GettyImages-1240599505-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/10/GettyImages-1240599505-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/10/GettyImages-1240599505-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/10/GettyImages-1240599505.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images</div>
McCarthy established himself as a <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/11/20/mccarthy-house-new-york-00128080" target="_blank" rel="noopener">powerhouse fundraiser</a>, and his sudden ouster <a href="https://www.axios.com/2023/12/11/rich-hudson-mike-johnson-nrcc-fundraising" target="_blank" rel="noopener">leaves Johnson with a lot to prove to donors</a>. The California Republican also touted himself as a key architect in <a href="https://www.rev.com/blog/transcripts/kevin-mccarthys-speech-after-losing-historic-vote-transcript" target="_blank" rel="noopener">building two GOP majorities</a> in the House. Johnson&#8217;s first big election test will come in 2024.
&#8220;We have to keep the team together and I think everybody understands the importance of the job that we have to do. We have to demonstrate we can govern well,&#8221; Johnson <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/speaker-johnson-says-house-gop-has-to-keep-the-team-together-amid-dwindling-majority" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently told Fox News</a> when pressed on the House GOP&#8217;s narrowing majority. &#8220;When we do that, I think we&#8217;ll expand the majority and we&#8217;ll be in a much better situation in the next round.&#8221;
Gaetz <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/matt-gaetz-mike-johnson-cr-shutdown-kevin-mccarthy-1843487" target="_blank" rel="noopener">insisted</a> <a href="https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/cnap/date/2023-11-13/segment/01" target="_blank" rel="noopener">to CNN</a> that he would not hold Johnson to a different standard than McCarthy. He warned Johnson would &#8220;likely face a similar fate&#8221; if the new speaker fails to rein in spending after being given several months to settle into the new position.
McCarthy, who represents the 20th Congressional District in California, was first elected to Congress in 2006 and worked his way up the GOP ranks. He won the speaker’s gavel in the 15th round of voting in January, but only after making concessions, such as restoring the ability of a single member to trigger the “motion to vacate” process that would lead to a no-confidence vote. That&#8217;s just what Gaetz did in early October, after which he and seven other Republicans joined with Democrats to remove McCarthy from the speakership.
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In a recent interview <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/face-the-nation-full-transcript-12-10-2023/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">with CBS News</a>, McCarthy encouraged Johnson not to fret over the &#8220;motion to vacate&#8221; mechanism. &#8220;I think the best advice I could give to him: you&#8217;re the speaker of the House. Do not — do not govern in the idea that you&#8217;re afraid somebody&#8217;s going to make a motion to vacate,&#8221; McCarthy said.
&#8220;When I made the decision to pay our troops and not shut down, I knew they were going to make a motion to vacate on me. I didn&#8217;t even know the Democrats would go along with it. But what I did know is, I had been in that room before. I had watched what had failed,&#8221; McCarthy said. He also claimed, &#8220;I would do it all again, because I hope others would look at that and do the exact same thing. It was right.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_665507" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-665507" class="wp-image-665507 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/GettyImages-1795602630-864x576.jpg" alt="Former Speaker of the House Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) listens during a press conference with members of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party at the Cannon House Office Building on November 15, 2023 in Washington, DC." width="864" height="576" />Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images</div>
During the speakership clash, McCarthy claimed that Gaetz&#8217;s opposition to his leadership really had to do with <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/03/house-speaker-mccarthy-defends-leadership-says-gaetz-has-personal-issues.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&#8220;personal&#8221; issues</a> under review in a House ethics investigation. Gaetz fired back, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/03/house-speaker-mccarthy-defends-leadership-says-gaetz-has-personal-issues.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to CNBC</a>, saying, &#8220;For some people, policy failures are recast as personal because their own failures are personally embarrassing to them.&#8221;
As recently as this month, the House Ethics Committee probe <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/06/politics/ethics-committee-requests-interview-withwitnessin-gaetz-probe/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was reportedly still active</a> following another witness interview request. It remains to be seen what the panel finds, but a scathing ethics report on another member — Rep. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/george-santos" target="_blank" rel="noopener">George Santos</a> (R-NY) — led to a bipartisan vote that <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-votes-to-expel-george-santos" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expelled him</a> from the House.
While a great deal of uncertainty hovers over what is promising to be a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/state-supreme-court-rules-trump-not-eligible-to-run-in-2024-removes-him-from-ballot" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wild presidential election year</a>, the House began its holiday break with the GOP united. Every Republican member voted in favor of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-votes-to-formally-authorize-biden-impeachment-inquiry" target="_blank" rel="noopener">formally authorizing</a> the corruption-focused impeachment inquiry against President Joe Biden on December 13.
Johnson also gave conservatives reason to cheer when he stood firm in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/speaker-johnson-wants-transformative-border-security-reforms-in-exchange-for-ukraine-aid" target="_blank" rel="noopener">demanding &#8220;transformative&#8221;</a> border security reforms in exchange for a funding boost to U.S. allies, including Ukraine, and spearheaded the passage of a bill to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-gop-proposes-israel-aid-offset-by-irs-budget-cuts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">offset $14.3 billion</a> in aid for Israel by slashing the same amount of funds meant for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that got the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/12-house-dems-ignore-biden-veto-threat-help-pass-israel-aid-with-irs-cuts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">begrudging support of a dozen Democrats</a>.
After Johnson announced the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/speaker-johnson-announces-public-release-of-january-6-footage" target="_blank" rel="noopener">online rollout of more January 6 footage</a> last month — a significant step in a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tucker-carlson-releases-january-6-footage-that-raises-new-questions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">disclosure process</a> that began under his predecessor — Gaetz praised the new speaker for <a href="https://twitter.com/mattgaetz/status/1725632563748786422" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> &#8220;keeping&#8221;</a> his word. &#8220;If he says he is going to do something, he is going to do it,&#8221; Gaetz said in a post to X.

Rep. Matt Gaetz

Fallout And Triumphs From The Matt Gaetz Coup

Readers Pass

In an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtcVSihByjQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a> that aired over the weekend, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kevin-mccarthy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rep. Kevin McCarthy</a> (R-CA) said he does not want to stick around the halls of Congress like Rep. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/83-year-old-nancy-pelosi-running-for-re-election" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nancy Pelosi</a> (D-CA) did after losing the speakership.
McCarthy, who is set to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kevin-mccarthy-to-retire-from-house-after-losing-speakership" target="_blank" rel="noopener">retire early from the House at the end of this year, was asked by Fox News host Brian Kilmeade why he i</a>s letting Pelosi &#8220;outlast&#8221; him in the House of Representatives.
&#8220;That&#8217;s probably not the legacy that I want, that I just stayed around,&#8221; McCarthy said in response. &#8220;I wanted to make sure I did something here.&#8221;
Pelosi twice served as speaker of the House. Her second stint ended when Republicans took control of the chamber this year. In addition, Pelosi <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/pelosi-steps-down-from-democratic-leadership-after-republicans-win-control-of-house" target="_blank" rel="noopener">abdicated</a> her leadership position among House Democrats, who are now led by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY).
But, in a bid to &#8220;advance&#8221; the values of her home city of San Francisco and &#8220;further our recovery,&#8221; Pelosi <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/83-year-old-nancy-pelosi-running-for-re-election" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> in September at the age of 83 that she would seek another term in the chamber she has served in since 1987.
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McCarthy, who was first elected to the House in 2006 and is 58 years old, scoffed at the sentiment.
&#8220;I mean, one of the reasons Speaker Pelosi wants to stay around, she said they need her to fix the problems in San Francisco, but she&#8217;s been there the whole time the problems were created,&#8221; McCarthy said. &#8220;So I believe it&#8217;s the Founders have always designed this to have new blood come in.&#8221;
McCarthy replaced Pelosi as speaker in January after 15 rounds of voting in the House. In October, he lost the gavel when several Republicans joined with Democrats in a no-confidence vote against him.
Several weeks after House Republicans settled on Rep. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mike-johnson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mike Johnson</a> (R-LA) as the new speaker, McCarthy announced that he would <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kevin-mccarthy-to-retire-from-house-after-losing-speakership" target="_blank" rel="noopener">step down from Congress at the close of 2023</a>, roughly one year before his term expires.
“I will continue to recruit our country’s best and brightest to run for elected office,&#8221; McCarthy said in his announcement in early December. &#8220;The Republican Party is expanding every day, and I am committed to lending my experience to support the next generation of leaders.&#8221;

Reps. Kevin McCarthy and Nancy Pelosi

McCarthy Says He Doesn’t Want To Pull A Pelosi

McCarthy Says He Doesn't Want To Pull A Pelosi

House Speaker

Nancy Pelosi

As he prepares to retire from Congress, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kevin-mccarthy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rep. Kevin McCarthy</a> (R-CA) shared advice for Speaker <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mike-johnson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mike Johnson</a> (R-LA), who succeeded him in the role after McCarthy was ousted from it in October.
In an interview <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/face-the-nation-full-transcript-12-10-2023/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">with CBS News</a>, clips of which aired during &#8220;Face the Nation&#8221; on Sunday, McCarthy encouraged Johnson not to fret over the rule by which a single member can propose a no-confidence vote in the speaker — the very mechanism by which McCarthy was removed.
&#8220;I think the best advice I could give to him: you&#8217;re the speaker of the House. Do not — do not govern in the idea that you&#8217;re afraid somebody&#8217;s going to make a motion to vacate,&#8221; McCarthy said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Kevin McCarthy tells <a href="https://twitter.com/costareports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@costareports</a> that his successor as House speaker, Mike Johnson, is &quot;doing fine&quot; and offers this advice: &quot;Do not govern in the idea that you&#39;re afraid somebody&#39;s going to make a motion to vacate.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/3cGDrWKwuK">pic.twitter.com/3cGDrWKwuK</a>
&mdash; Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/1733905418580103260?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 10, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Citing frustrations with McCarthy’s leadership, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) <a href="https://apnews.com/article/kevin-mccarthy-matt-gaetz-speaker-vacate-congress-e7e5ccc6cf79ccbf5b4a7b73b9d5a3ae" target="_blank" rel="noopener">filed</a> a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gaetz-floats-bipartisan-compromise-on-motion-to-vacate">“motion to vacate the chair”</a> in early October after the House passed a short-term spending bill to avert a government shutdown. In the no-confidence vote that followed, Gaetz and seven other Republicans joined with Democrats to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mccarthy-ousted-from-speakership-after-democrats-side-with-matt-gaetz">remove McCarthy</a> from the speakership. McCarthy had only been serving as speaker since January.
&#8220;When I made the decision to pay our troops and not shut down, I knew they were going to make a motion to vacate on me. I didn&#8217;t even know the Democrats would go along with it. But what I did know is, I had been in that room before. I had watched what had failed,&#8221; McCarthy said.
&#8220;And I knew, at that moment, that when I thought before I ran for office, you would always tell yourself, would you do what you think was right? Would you literally risk your job and do it? You say you would, but when you came to that moment, I hope history writes that I actually did what I said I would do before I ever got elected when that moment came,&#8221; he added. &#8220;And I would do it all again, because I hope others would look at that and do the exact same thing. It was right.&#8221;
The House <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-elects-mike-johnson-as-speaker" target="_blank" rel="noopener">elected</a> Johnson as its 56th speaker in late October, ending a weeks-long stalemate that ensued after McCarthy got voted out of the role. Last week, McCarthy announced that he will <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kevin-mccarthy-to-retire-from-house-after-losing-speakership" target="_blank" rel="noopener">retire</a> from the House by the end of the year — about one half of the way through the current session of Congress.
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In the interview, McCarthy quipped that he would &#8220;still be in it&#8221; if he was the &#8220;best to give advice.&#8221; He also opined that Johnson is &#8220;doing fine&#8221; so far despite the abrupt turn of events.
Pressed on the GOP&#8217;s shrinking majority in the House following the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-votes-to-expel-george-santos" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expulsion of</a> Rep. George Santos (R-NY), Johnson <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/speaker-johnson-says-house-gop-has-to-keep-the-team-together-amid-dwindling-majority" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shared his view</a> on what it will take for Republicans to get anything done.
&#8220;We have to keep the team together and I think everybody understands the importance of the job that we have to do. We have to demonstrate we can govern well,&#8221; Johnson told Fox News. &#8220;When we do that, I think we&#8217;ll expand the majority and we&#8217;ll be in a much better situation in the next round.&#8221;

McCarthy Gives Parting Advice To Speaker Johnson

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/house-republicans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Republicans</a> have to &#8220;keep the team together&#8221; if they want to get anything done with an ever-narrowing majority in the House, according to Speaker <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mike-johnson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mike Johnson</a> (R-LA).
In an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdlPT5az64Y" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a> that aired on Sunday morning, Fox News journalist Raymond Arroyo pressed Johnson on what the House GOP can accomplish after the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-votes-to-expel-george-santos" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expulsion of</a> Rep. George Santos (R-NY) and the early <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kevin-mccarthy-to-retire-from-house-after-losing-speakership" target="_blank" rel="noopener">retirement</a> announcement of former Speaker <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kevin-mccarthy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kevin McCarthy</a> (R-CA), alluding to the decreasing number of defections the GOP can abide in close votes.
&#8220;We have to keep the team together and I think everybody understands the importance of the job that we have to do. We have to demonstrate we can govern well,&#8221; Johnson replied. &#8220;When we do that, I think we&#8217;ll expand the majority and we&#8217;ll be in a much better situation in the next round.&#8221;
What had been a <a href="https://pressgallery.house.gov/member-data/party-breakdown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">four-vote margin</a> by which Republicans could pass legislation is now starting to shrink. House Republicans are down to <a href="https://pressgallery.house.gov/member-data/party-breakdown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">221 members</a>, while Democrats have 213. And the GOP&#8217;s advantage could take another hit depending on whether a Democrat wins Santos&#8217; Long Island seat in a February <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/12/07/santos-seat-suozzi-00130737" target="_blank" rel="noopener">special election</a>.
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Looking ahead, McCarthy said he plans to exit Congress by the end of the year. Rep. Bill Young (R-OH) <a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-republicans-speaker-92c63abfcc202d86321f5796fdf300dd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">is expected to follow</a> in the coming months after he accepted a job as president of Youngstown State University. At least one Democrat, Rep. Brian Higgins (D-NY), is <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4306322-longtime-ny-house-democrat-brian-higgins-to-resign-citing-frustrations-in-congress/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">poised to step down</a> in February.
The GOP-led House <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-elects-mike-johnson-as-speaker" target="_blank" rel="noopener">elected</a> Johnson as its 56th speaker in late October, ending a weeks-long stalemate after several Republicans joined with Democrats in voting to remove McCarthy as speaker.
Johnson has a daunting task in front of him as Congress grapples with spending legislation to keep the government open, a massive defense authorization bill, and a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/it-isnt-xenophobic-fetterman-encourages-border-security-talks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">supplemental funds measure</a> that would boost allies such as Israel and Ukraine. And, in the coming days, the House is slated to vote on whether to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-gop-releases-biden-impeachment-probe-resolution" target="_blank" rel="noopener">formalize an impeachment inquiry</a> into President Joe Biden.
One vocal member of the GOP conference, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), recently critiqued her party&#8217;s situation in the House, <a href="https://twitter.com/RepMTG/status/1732438386084806665" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saying</a>, &#8220;I can assure you Republican voters didn’t give us the majority to crash the ship.&#8221;

Speaker Mike Johnson

Speaker Johnson Says House GOP Has To ‘Keep The Team Together’ Amid Dwindling Majority

Speaker Johnson Says House GOP Has To 'Keep The Team Together'

George Santos

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