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Kevin McCarthy’s concessions to a group of arch-conservatives have earned him 15 votes and (maybe) counting, while also likely ensuring future heartache, floor fights, Senate showdowns and perhaps even a crisis over whether to US defaults.
The final concessions McCarthy negotiated were enough to attract a group of fellow elected lawmakers who had repeatedly voted against him in 12 successive ballots amid the lengthy televised spectacle.
They got almost everything they asked for, beyond the subcommittee gavels that other Conference members dismissed as an unfair push, though McCarthy still couldn’t prevail on the 13th ballot to elect him as president.
Kevin McCarthy caved in to a series of demands from conservative rebels in his bid to become Speaker
Rules Committee Representation
Members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus won commitments to be added to the Rules panel. The committee wields tremendous power in setting the terms of the debate, but generally operates as a tool of the Speaker. (Traditionally it has a 9:4 ratio, so most never lose.)
With more representation, Conservatives will be able to help allow minimal amendments on policy issues and messaging opportunities, from abortion to public spending.
The panel also decides which members get the speaking time and prestige to have their amendments debated, another chance to build your faction’s profile.
A single member can move to ‘dislodge the chair’
If McCarthy thought overcoming a bunch of holdouts was tough this week, things could get even tougher if he becomes a speaker.
A single member could move to ‘dislodge the chair’. This goes back to the earlier proceeding, that the Freedom Caucus threatened former Chairman John Boehner.
McCarthy had already agreed to a five-vote requirement to bring the motion, which essentially establishes a vote of no confidence in the speaker of the House, and agreed to reduce it to just one lawmaker.
Representative-elect Scott Perry, Republican of Pennsylvania. helped negotiate concessions with McCarthy allies
Rep.-elect Chip Roy, R-Texas, was another holdout who helped broker a deal and went on to support McCarthy.
Concessions to conservatives on spending bills could lead to a clash with the Democratic-led Senate, where Republicans, including Sen. Mitch McConnell, will take a different stance.
Hard line on the debt limit
McCarthy agreed to take a hard line on raising the statutory debt limit, which Congress must lift to accommodate the spending it agreed to through appropriations.
Lawmakers were not direct about what the exact deal was. But one of those who opposed it, Rep.-elect Ralph Norman, called for a very hard line.
‘Are you willing to shut down the government instead of raising the debt ceiling? That’s a non-negotiable item,’ Norman saying before switching to backing McCarthy.
Rep.-elect Chip Roy (R-Texas) declined to disclose the precise nature of the deal, which was reported by the Washington Post and other outlets. ‘I’m not going to be specific about that because I’m still having conversations here for a few hours. But what I will say is that it’s safe to say that we believe there are specific, concrete limits on spending attached to raising the debt ceiling,’ he told reporters, criticizing the $1.7 trillion blanket bill being passed as the last major act of the Democratic Congress.
That suggests the House may try to force the administration to accept spending cuts, something Democrats are sure to resist.
Votes on term limits and border security
The holdouts reportedly vowed to get votes in the floor on term limits and border security. The former in particular could drive a wedge into the conference. McCarthy himself was elected to the House in 2006.
The legislation would likely die in the Senate, where it would be subject to a filibuster.
open primaries
The Conservative Leadership Fund, a McCarthy-backed PAC, negotiated an agreement with the Club for Growth that will impact Republicans joining the House in the future.
The BLC has pledged to stay out of ‘open’ primaries when a legislator vacates a seat. That gives arch-conservatives a chance to prevail in a primary without getting hit by the leadership, which sometimes intervenes on behalf of candidates deemed most ‘eligible’.
‘CLF will not spend on any open primaries in safe Republican districts and CLF will not resource other super PACs to do so. CLF has never before spent a dollar against a Republican incumbent and will obviously continue that policy in the future,” according to a statement from the Club for Growth website. The group has backed many of the resisting conservatives. The group lent its support to McCarthy, assuming the terms of the agreement entered into.
Rep. Kevin McCarthy reportedly offered the rogue 20 Republicans a list of concessions he would make in exchange for their votes in the presidential race.
assignments
McCarthy has reportedly agreed to allow “open-ended rules” on spending measures, which could lead to lengthy debates and efforts to zero out funding for programs unpopular with Republicans.
But the votes can also give Democrats weapons to use in campaign ads, and can strip Republican appropriators of Liberty Caucus members.
According to Politico, the deal includes a commitment to submit separate appropriations bills. Conservatives loathe ‘omnibus’ bills that wrap up multiple spending bills when lockdowns loom. Passage of individual bills is something both sides routinely attempt and fail at the end of the fiscal year.
Another compromise was to allow votes on the spending of ‘allocations’, projects inserted by individual members. House Republicans brought the practice back in 2021 via a vote in their conference. According to Politico, it was not clear if they would be voted on individually or en bloc.
Although despised by good government groups, the leadership of both parties has relied on practice to secure support for the legislation.
Discretionary Spending Cap
Another concession is a cap on discretionary spending, CNN informed. although spending levels are generally negotiated by both chambers, and are influenced by the president’s budget requests.
‘Weapons’ of the Department of Justice
Republicans are preparing to take on the Biden administration, and the rebels have forced a compromise to establish a committee on the ‘weaponization’ of the Justice Department. The idea was raised in a subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee. Its exact structure and membership were uncertain.