Biden congratulated Kevin McCarthy on his election as Speaker of the House of Representatives

On Saturday morning, President Joe Biden congratulated Kevin McCarthy on his election as Speaker of the House, noting that he was ready to work with Republicans whenever possible, and adding, hinting at the party’s lame-duck victory in the midterm elections, that “voters made it clear: They expect Republicans to be ready to work with me, too.”

Biden recalled that his administration has made significant progress on the economy over the past two years, bringing the U.S. unemployment rate to its lowest level in half a century.

“It is imperative that we continue this economic progress, not set it back. It is vital that we protect public pension and health care programs, not cut them. It’s critical that we protect our national security, not take funding away from that area,” Biden said in a statement. – As the past two years have shown, we can do important things for the country when we do it together.”

Republican Kevin McCarthy was elected speaker of the House early Saturday morning after making significant concessions to his opponents, members of the extreme conservative faction of Republicans, hardliners who have questioned the party’s ability to run the country through their actions.

The 57-year-old California congressman suffered his latest humiliation when his colleague Matt Getz refused to support McCarthy on the 14th ballot shortly before midnight, triggering a scuffle during which lawmakers had to separate Getz and Republican Mike Rogers.

McCarthy’s victory on the 15th ballot ended the deepest problem Congress has faced in more than 160 years. But events in recent days vividly demonstrate the difficulties the new speaker will face in leading a deeply polarized and inconsequential majority in the lower chamber.

On the 15th ballot, McCarthy defeated Democratic rival Hakeem Jeffries by a margin of just four votes, 216 to 212. This time, the candidate needed the votes of less than half of the entire House of Representatives to win only because six members of his own party had recused themselves, not supporting McCarthy as leader, but not voting for another challenger either.

Taking up the Speaker’s gavel for the first time, McCarthy proclaimed the end of Democrat power in both houses of Congress.

“Our system is built on checks and balances. It’s time for us to rein in the president’s policies and provide some balance,” McCarthy said in his inaugural address, which outlined a wide range of priorities, from cutting spending to dealing with illegal immigration to waging “culture wars.”

McCarthy could only become speaker after agreeing to a demand from hard-line supporters that included a condition that any lawmaker could now demand his resignation at any time. This would severely limit the speaker’s power to pass legislation on critical issues, including funding for government operations, dealing with an increase in the national debt ceiling and other crises that may arise in the near future.

The weaker-than-expected Republican results in the November midterm elections left them in the House with a minimal majority of 222 lawmakers against 212 Democrats, which ended up being a chance for the conservative wing of the party that opposed McCarthy’s candidacy.

These concessions, including steep spending cuts and other restrictions on the new speaker, could point to further turmoil in the coming months, especially now that Congress will need to approve a further $31.4 trillion increase in the U.S. debt ceiling.

Republicans have repeatedly initiated government shutdowns over the past decade, pushing the world’s largest borrower to the brink of default, and trying to get dramatic cuts in government spending, usually to no avail.

Some hardliners have questioned McCarthy’s willingness to balance the war during negotiations with President Joe Biden and the Democrats who control the Senate. In the past, those same congressmen have come to blows when Senate Republicans, led by Mitch McConnell, have agreed to compromise deals with the White House.

McCarthy’s opponents, including Liberty Caucus Chairman Scott Perry and Texas Congressman Chip Roy, said the concessions they got from McCarthy would make it easier to use the same tactics this year.

“It’s going to change how we’re going to spend and allocate money, which will be historic,” Scott Perry said. – “We don’t want an increase in the debt ceiling to just happen and bills to keep getting paid without any countervailing efforts to control spending when Democrats control the White House and control the Senate.

Senate Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer warned that the concessions McCarthy made to get the speaker’s seat could come back to haunt him in the near future.

“Kevin McCarthy’s concessions to extremists in his party increase the likelihood that the MAGA-Republican-controlled House of Representatives will achieve a government shutdown or default with devastating consequences for our country,” Schumer said in a statement.

Unlike this week’s fractured Republicans in the House, Biden and McConnell appeared together in Kentucky on Wednesday to draw attention to infrastructure investment.

McCarthy’s belated victory came a day after the two-year anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, when a violent mob stormed into Congress trying to overturn then-President Donald Trump’s electoral defeat.

The 14 unsuccessful attempts to elect a speaker this week was a record not seen since 1859, when the U.S. was in turbulent times before the Civil War.

McCarthy’s last bid for speaker in 2015 failed due to opposition from far-right lawmakers. Two previous Republican speakers, John Boehner and Paul Ryan, left office after conflict with ultra-conservative colleagues.

McCarthy will now be able to block the Biden administration’s legislative agenda by dealing with Republican priorities on the economy, energy and immigration, as well as advancing investigations into Biden, the administration and the president’s family.

McCarthy, however, has agreed to concessions that imply he will have significantly less power than his predecessor, Nancy Pelosi. This would make it difficult for him to negotiate with Democrats on issues of mutual interest to both parties.

The possibility that the procedure for removing the speaker from office can now be triggered by just one congressman will give hardliners enormous influence.

The agreement limits spending for the next fiscal year to last year’s level, which would actually be a significant reduction when inflation and population growth are taken into account.

This could meet resistance from moderate Republicans and those party members who push for more military funding, especially as the United States spends money helping Ukraine repel Russian aggression.

Moderate Republican Brian Fitzpatrick said he’s not worried about the possibility of being influenced by ultra-conservatives.

“It’s inspiring,” he told reporters. – We still have our voting cards.”