Kevin McCarthy was recently elected Speaker of the House after a tumultuous process culminating in the successful 15th ballot. Since then, McCarthy has been making waves with his committee assignments and House Rule changes.
On Monday, Mccarthy told reporters that he was removing Democrat Representatives Adam Schiff, Eric Swalwell, and Ilhan Omar from the intelligence and foreign affairs committees they served on previously, keeping promises he made during a Fox News interview in November.
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McCARTHY confirms Swalwell, Schiff & Omar will be off committees they’d previously served: intel/foreign affairs.
“Swalwell can’t get a security clearance in the private sector. I’m not going to give him a government security clearance. Schiff has lied to the American public…”
— Farnoush Amiri (@FarnoushAmiri) January 10, 2023
The reasons? McCarthy cited Adam Schiff knowingly lying to the American people with the debunked Steele Dossier to undermine Donal Trump during an interview with Breitbart. During the same interview, he promised to pull Eric Swalwell off the intelligence committee after it was revealed that he was sleeping with a Chinese spy.
“One thing I said from the beginning, Eric Swalwell cannot get a security clearance in the public sector. Why would we ever give him a security clearance and the secrets to America? So I will not allow him to be on Intel. You have Adam Schiff who lied to the American people time and time again. We will not allow him to be on Intel either.”
McCarthy also promised to remove Ilhan Omar from the foreign affairs committee. No explicit reason was mentioned in the interview, but it is potentially due to concerns that she violated federal immigration law by allegedly marrying her brother to enter the country.
.@GOPLeader McCarthy Vows to Strip Omar, Swalwell, & Schiff from Committees pic.twitter.com/3wElqI4sbq
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) January 10, 2022
McCarthy detailed the differences between himself and Pelosi, saying that he would hold House Committees and Members to a “higher standard.” McCarthy also voiced his enthusiasm to start a China Committee, not that he’s Speaker, something Pelosi refused for unclear reasons, relegating the movement to a China Taskforce instead. The committee has now been approved.
U.S. House APPROVES creation of new Select Committee on U.S. Competition with China, 365-65. pic.twitter.com/WaO1jMULVp
— CSPAN (@cspan) January 10, 2023
However, Committee assignments are not the only thing setting McCarthy apart from Pelosi. During the election process, McCarthy made several concessions to Florida Representative Matt Gaetz and the other holdouts regarding the house rules, fundamentally changing how legislation works at the highest levels.
And the agreements weren’t just talk, as some feared, and the new house rules quickly passed, cementing McCarthy’s promises.
HOUSE PASSES HR 5 RULE PACKAGE pic.twitter.com/LvnQQM87jQ
— Red Lion Politics (@lion_politics) January 10, 2023
Recently Elected Florida Representative Anna Paulina Luna Tweeted out a makeshift list of the granted concessions made possible by the holdout.
For those wondering: pic.twitter.com/5rR45qFT8q
— Anna Paulina Luna (@realannapaulina) January 6, 2023
Gaetz and Representative Lauren Boebert went on with Laura Ingraham on Fox News to explain their results more thoroughly.
Gaetz highlighted that the rules would prevent votes on massive, all-or-nothing bills, quick to frame the changes as a victory for his camp and for McCarthy.
Well the whole sum of this movement was to ensure that never again would be forced to take a vote on something like this omnibus legislation. And I actually think this will make Kevin McCarthy stronger as a speaker because in negotiating with the Senate he’ll be able to say, I’m sorry the House rules don’t allow us to consider things that aren’t germane or that don’t comport to a single subject.
The rules will also lead to a more hardnosed approach to spending by requiring a balanced budget. Gaetz and Boebert said that they’re willing to look at cutting defense spending to achieve this goal out of a belief that military fitness won’t be reduced as a result due to the budget squeeze forcing greater efficiency.
On Hannity, McCarthy made similar promises on fiscal responsibility.
'EVERY DOLLAR MATTERS': On "Hannity," Speaker Kevin McCarthy says he and House Republicans will "get our country under control financially" through economic oversight. https://t.co/YoScNKdNt9 pic.twitter.com/3zPl1zdVHX
— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 11, 2023
Gaetz noted that any further aid to Ukraine would need to be approved, reviewed, and handled with greater accountability as part of the balanced budget rule. Gaetz also noted that one of the final concessions McCarthy made led to the discarding of 87,000 IRS agents, presumably the ones Biden’s “Inflation Reduction Act” created.
Gaetz discussed the moment when McCarthy walked up to Gaetz when he was the last holdout after 14 failed votes and being so close. Gaetz said he was proud of McCarthy’s actions, telling Ingraham that:
I think the imperial speakership is over. Nancy Pelosi will be the last imperial speaker because now we’re going to unlock the potential of all the members and I’m glad the Speaker saw it that way.
Other stories you may want to read:
Republican Nancy Mace Calls Matt Gaetz a ‘Fraud’ on Face the Nation
‘Freedom Lives Here’ Gov. Ron DeSantis Inauguration Speech
