This week kicked off the 118th session of Congress in Washington, D.C., and it was historic. For the first time since the Civil War, it took 15 ballots to elect the next Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. Let me tell you what happened, and what we were fighting for, and what we accomplished.
The battle for the speakership was not limited to who would be Speaker. It was about the rules that govern Congress. With every new Congress, rules are established that govern how we propose laws, how we change laws, how we debate laws, and how we pass laws. For the last century, these rules have been written in a manner that eliminates most members of Congress from having any meaningful input in the process. Since my first day in Congress, the Speaker, regardless of their party, has abused these rules and exercised tyrannical control over the members of congress.
Only the Speaker could decide what bills would be voted on, or who could propose a bill or amendment, or if whether there would be any debate. It turned Congress into a charade, or Kabuki theater. It may have appeared like we had a choice and a voice in the making, however, we had very little choice in reality.
What happened this week?
There was a revolt this week and 20 of us said, “no more.” We were tired of the status quo. We were tired of being given 4,000 plus page spending bills and then told we needed to vote for it with only mere hours before the vote lest something bad occur. Believe me when I say: no person can read and understand a 4,000-page congressional bill in 24 or 48 hours but that is what often occurred. This was legislative malpractice. And we decided to end it.
The Straw That Broke the Camel’s Back
Even though this type of silly nonsense has plagued Congress for decades, the straw that broke the camel’s back was the Omnibus bill passed by the democrats in December.
This 4,100-page monstrosity spent $1.7 trillion dollars, and included money for a war we have never debated or declared, billions of dollars to protect the borders of Israel, Ukraine and other countries, and expressly prohibited protecting our own border. There is over a trillion dollars in waste in that bill. This is TRILLION with a T. It is hard to fathom how much money that it is, but it is an enormous amount.
Leaders in Congress gave us less than 24 hours to “read” this bill before ramming it through for a vote on Christmas weekend. This was an obvious sham. As a result, 19 patriots and I decided “enough was enough.” We were hell bent on changing the rules by picking this fight when we were selecting the next Speaker of the House of Representatives. By setting the stage during the Speaker vote we could leverage our ideas to change the rules, because whoever was going to be our Speaker needed nearly all of our support to win. The eventual Speaker needed to agree to better rules to garner our support.
Keep in mind, the Speaker of the House of Representatives has a boss, and it is the rest of us in Congress who put him or her in the role. That is no different than all of you being my boss by putting me into office. I must report to you on what I am doing, keeping my promises, and making sure you feel your voice is being heard. It is no different for whoever is the Speaker.
What About Democrat Authoritarianism
Contrary to the 20 of us, the democrats in Congress seem quite happy to live under tyranny. The rules they passed under former Speaker Pelosi created a dictatorship with the Speaker. It appears that most democrats are quite happy being told what to do, how high to jump, and to never dissent or else…
However, the rest of us real Americans, with the blood of our forefathers in our veins, living like minions to the Speaker is not acceptable. We demanded that the Pelosi rules be thrown out, shredded and kicked to the curb. There is a new sheriff in town, and this sheriff wants freedom and true democracy on the floor of the House of Representatives. We want a voice and our votes to count. We want our views heard and considered. That is exactly what we got!
Why I Voted for Kevin McCarthy
When the process to elect the next Speaker began earlier in the week, I was proud to have nominated and voted several times for my colleague and very good friend, Representative Andy Biggs from the great state of Arizona. Congressman Biggs is a proven, principled leader who has fought every single day for limited government and accountability in Washington, D.C.
Throughout the week, I continued to negotiate with Congressman McCarthy, with clear-eyed determination to change the failed policies of the past that have not worked. In fact, I withheld my vote from Kevin McCarthy until important concessions were made on transparency, process, spending, and accountability.
Among these concessions included:
- The Motion to Vacate the Chair by one member of the House of Representatives
- Open rules on appropriations bills
- Non-establishment representation on key committees
So, after voting 11 times against, I cast my 12th vote for Congressman Kevin McCarthy for Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, voting with Representatives Jim Jordan, Byron Donalds, Chip Roy, and with support from President Trump, because the time to fight the Biden administration and the woke socialist policies of the Left is now.
I voted from Mr. McCarthy for speaker because he listened to me and others. As noted, I had several frank and open conversations where Kevin understood our opposition. He agreed to major reforms and to let our Republican conference become partners with him, not minions to him. I supported him because he agreed to run with these reforms and to keep our coalition together.
When the rules package gets approved next week, we will have accomplished something no Congress has done in a century. It takes vision and perspective to step out of the traditional comfort zone, and Speaker McCarthy joined me in taking that step for Congress and for the betterment of America.
I will be a strong partner working with Speaker McCarthy and the rest of my colleagues to pass bills to save our country from the mess the democrats have created, stand up to Joe Biden and his woke administration and use our majority to enact a bold agenda that transforms how Congress operates. The situation is dire and we have no time waste.
I am Proud of My Colleagues
In the process of debating the speakership and the rules, I stood with 20 colleagues who reached the same conclusion: we needed to shake this up to save America. I saw my friend Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene work tirelessly to win support for the Speaker and the rule changes. My friend Representative Matt Gaetz showed resolve and courage under fire. My colleague Representative Dan Bishop showed his passion. My friend Rep. Lauren Boebert showed confidence, bravery and determination. Congressman Chip Roy showed leadership. I could go on, and I am also proud of my resolve and focus.
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