Incoming House GOP Chairs Ratchet Up Pressure On McCarthys Detractors And Call On Them To Not ‘squander Their Majority

Washington CNN -_

The Republicans who will chair House committees in the next Congress warn that critics of Kevin McCarthy could undermine the slim majority they won in November if they deny him the 218 votes needed to become president.

"Let us not waste this majority until we bring back the hammers," the new presidents wrote in a letter on Monday. "Time is of the essence, and the American people want us to act now." We won a lot, which was never given, and Americans will remember how we decided to start our enterprise.

The letter is part of a growing public pressure campaign against five Republican opponents: Matt Gaetz of Florida, Andy Biggs of Arizona, Ralph Norman of South Carolina, Bob Hood of Virginia and Matt Rosendale of Montana, who have vowed to keep growing. . In a race in which McCarthy would not lose more than four Republican votes. Former President Donald Trump urged five members to drop their opposition to McCarthy, and the House Republican leader said their opposition could "endanger" the Republican agenda.

Five GOP members have warned that they could vote as one on January 3, which means they will all vote the same way. Biggs, who lost the Republican presidential nomination to McCarthy by 31 votes last month, told CNN he "doesn't lie" and plans to run for president during the House vote next month.

If McCarthy fails to muster 218 votes on January 3, the House of Representatives will continue to vote until someone else arrives, which has not happened since 1923.

In recent days, McCarthy has sharply escalated his campaign for public pressure on the five members, arguing that the Republican majority could be shaken if it does not budge.

He also spent hours behind closed doors discussing a series of bases that hardliners want to weaken the leadership and empower its members, including a willingness to concede some of their key demands. But McCarthy has not yet agreed to allow an individual member to get a vote in place of an incumbent, the focus of tough demands the California Republican has resisted so far.