Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) defended the concessions he’s made to the 20 conservative Republicans blocking his bid for speaker of the House, saying he won’t be a “weaker speaker” because of their demands.
McCarthy told reporters after the House adjourned Thursday night that they’ve “made good progress” in talks with his detractors. There have been 11 rounds of votes in which 20 GOP lawmakers have stopped him from reaching 218 votes, a simple majority of the House, to become speaker.
MCCARTHY ALLIES SAY 20 GOP DETRACTORS ARE HOLDING PARTY ‘HOSTAGE’
News — McCarthy defends concessions he’s made, says he won’t be a “weaker speaker” because of the motion-to-vacate deal, downplays the time it’s taken so far and says he has no timeline to get to 218 pic.twitter.com/dma2dGmmsh
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) January 6, 2023
“It’s better that we go through this process right now so we can achieve the things we want to achieve for the American public,” McCarthy said. “So if this takes a little longer and it doesn’t meet your deadline, that’s OK because it’s not how you start; it’s how you finish.”
He disagreed that his concession to lower the threshold to only one member being necessary to bring forward a motion to “vacate the chair,” or oust a party leader, would weaken his authority, saying he “would only be a weaker speaker if I were afraid of it” and that he’s “very fine” with the possibility.
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Negotiators said Thursday evening they had a deal on paper, but the concessions may make more centrist Republicans balk. Wednesday night already saw McCarthy make major concessions, including on the motion to adjourn and put House Freedom Caucus members in key committee positions. The details of the newest deal haven’t yet been made public.
The House will reconvene at noon Friday.
