New US Speaker scores first win

GBNEWS24DESK//

Divisive new Speaker Kevin McCarthy passed the first test of his ability to lead the chaotic US House of Representatives Monday as lawmakers approved a rules package determining how his Republicans will govern.

The vote on the blueprint — described by top Democrat Jim McGovern as a “ransom note to America from the extreme right” — came on the heels of one of the most turbulent weeks ever in the lower chamber of Congress.

Lawmakers almost came to blows in the newly Republican-controlled House as McCarthy was forced to go through 15 rounds of voting over four days to overcome a far right blockade to his candidacy.

“At the heart of all of this discussion last week it was very clear, surely from our side, that Washington is broken,” McCarthy’s deputy, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, said as the debate opened.

“And not just is Washington broken, but the way that this House has been running for the last few years has not been designed to address the problems of the people from across this country.”

Democrats complain, however, that the deals McCarthy cut to win the speaker vote have severely curtailed the role of Washington’s top legislator and have ceded power to the most extreme Republicans.