The first week of 2023 was dominated by historic scenes in the House of Representatives as the vote for speaker went multiple ballots for the first time in more than a century.
In October, then-House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) probably thought it was a formality, but an underwhelming midterm election showing meant he could only afford to lose four Republican votes. He has had to deal with 20 rebels for an incredibly uncomfortable week. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden headed to Kentucky for a display of bipartisanship with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and also announced a weekend trip to the border.
“Maybe the right person for the speaker of the House is someone who doesn’t want it so bad.”
- Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) on McCarthy’s speaker bid.
“This is bulls***.”
- Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) mutters under her breath as McCarthy was making his pitch.
“[Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY)] does not traffic in extremism. He does not grovel to or make excuses for a twice-impeached so-called former president. Madame Clerk, he does not bend the knee to anyone who would seek to undermine our democracy because, Madame Clerk, that’s not what leaders do.”
- Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA) mocks McCarthy on the House floor.
“I want the tools or the leadership to stop the swamp. … I’m gonna sit here until we figure out how to stop spending money we don’t have.”
- Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) as he chooses to vote for Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) instead of McCarthy.
“@RepMattGaetz full ego was on display today. He’s going to screw around and get another [Rep. Nancy] Pelosi [D-Calif.] elected Speaker. I’ll have a lot more to say about this political D-Lister tomorrow.”
- Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) doesn’t hold back in her feelings on Gaetz for his speaker stunts.
“If you’re a narcissist and you believe that your opinion is so much more important than everyone else’s, then you’ll keep going, and you’ll threaten to tear down the team for the benefit of the Democrats.”
- Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) on the GOP rebels.
“For the first time in History, there have been two Black Americans placed into the nomination for Speaker of the House.”
- Roy on Wednesday nominated Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) for speaker. Along with Jeffries, the House makes some history.
“We haven’t been sworn in. We are representatives-elect. … We don’t have statuses as members until we organize. And that’s, unfortunately, as a result of this Republican chaos. There will come points where other things are impacted.”
- Aguilar points out that the Republican speaker chaos means members can’t be sworn in.
“I asked permission if I could say something nice about him. I said I’d campaign for him or against him, whichever would help him the most.”
- President Joe Biden jokes about McConnell as he appears in Kentucky with the Senate minority leader.
“Let cooler, more rational heads prevail. Let us unite as Republicans.”
- Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH) nominates McCarthy for speaker.
“You’ve been having my favorite president call us and tell us we need to knock this off. I think it actually needs to be reversed. The president needs to tell Kevin McCarthy that ‘sir, you do not have the votes and it’s time to withdraw.'”
- Boebert tells former President Donald Trump to stop calling and instead convince McCarthy to drop out.
“I love this stuff. I wish this had happened when I was in Congress. … I might as well be here. I think I would make a great candidate for speaker.”
- Former Michigan Rep. Justin Amash is at Congress and pitches himself as a consensus candidate.
“All who serve in the House share a responsibility to bring dignity to this body. Sadly, Republicans’ cavalier attitude in electing a Speaker is frivolous, disrespectful and unworthy of this institution.”
- Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) expresses her disappointment in the speaker drama.
“An exercise in vanity.”
- Gaetz on Friday says the continued ballots are a sham.
“The president knows the border very well.”
- Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas defends Biden not visiting the border — until now.
“If no one’s raising questions about why Secretary [Mark] Esper and his wife led [a] delegation … then why is it any different when it’s me and my husband?”
- Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg defends taking his husband on a government plane to the Invictus Games in April last year.
“We’re at a turning point. I’ve negotiated in good faith, with one purpose: to restore the People’s House back to its rightful owners. The framework for an agreement is in place, so in a good-faith effort, I voted to restore the People’s House by voting for @gopleader McCarthy.”
- Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) explains why he flipped on Friday.
“Because I count.”
- McCarthy on Friday afternoon on why he is confident he could win the speaker vote later that night.
“It is funny if there’s no consequences. It’s scary ‘cause the, ‘cause that guy does get to vote, and he’s completely full of s***, I guess.”
- Joe Rogan on Rep.-elect George Santos (R-NY), who has been accused of multiple lies in his resume and background.
“I think we’re close. We might actually get sworn in this evening. So I’m cautiously optimistic. But at this point, it is so fluid.”
- Rep.-elect Andy Ogles (R-TN) on early Friday evening as McCarthy closed in.
“I am a NO on the house rules package. Welcome to the 118th Congress.”
- Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) hints that McCarthy is in for a rude awakening should he win the gavel
