MCCARTHY WINS 15TH VOTE FOR SPEAKER

| FROM THE NEWSROOM | JANUARY 7, 2023 | 12: 34 PM |

The long drawn out vote for the GOP Speaker of the House has finally come to an end after the 15th vote. GOP holdouts finally gave in and allowed Keven McCarthy to become the new GOP Speaker of the House early Saturday morning, after a week

that tested the GOP’s ability to govern. Speaker Kevin McCarthy said that he is eager to confront President Biden and Democrats promising to open subpoenas and investigations into their actions. He also credited Former President Donald Trump for helping him secure the final votes which allowed him to gain the speakership. McCarthy took the oath of office, and the House was also able to finally swear in newly elected lawmakers who have been waiting all week for the chamber to formally open. On the 14th ballot, McCarthy only fell short of one vote due to Representative Matt Gaetz still holding out. McCarthy confronted Gaetz and other holdouts and then Republicans fell in line and allowed McCarthy to be sworn in as the new speaker, which is the

third in line for the presidency after the vice president. According to reports, the deal that McCarthy presented to the holdouts from the Freedom Caucus and others centers around rules changes they have been seeking for months. Those changes would shrink the power of the speaker’s office and give rank-and-file lawmakers more influence in drafting and passing legislation. This is one of the many reasons that the holdouts finally stepped back along with allowing members of the House GOP to put forth a motion to vacate the chair if McCarthy does not speak for the majority.