The Daily

Speaker McCarthy Has Lost Control of His House

Jun 27, 2023

Annie Karni, a congressional correspondent for The New York Times, delves into the chaos engulfing the House of Representatives. She explains how a faction of hard-right Republicans has disrupted legislative processes and challenged Speaker McCarthy's authority. The discussion covers the fallout from a contentious debt ceiling deal and the implications of proposed impeachment articles against President Biden. Karni also touches on the increasing influence of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus and the growing divisions within the GOP.

26:35

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Episode guests

Annie Karni

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Episode notes

Intro

2min

Power Struggles in the GOP

6min

Censorship in Congress: A Controversial Maneuver

5min

McCarthy's Turmoil: Navigating Chaos in the House

4min

Impeachment Intentions: A Political Gamble

9min

Political Maneuvers and Global Updates

4min

Earlier this month, a group of hard-right Republicans hijacked the floor of the House of Representatives in protest against Speaker Kevin McCarthy. The mutiny, staged by nearly a dozen members of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus, raised questions about whether the speaker could continue to govern his slim and fractious majority.

Annie Karni, a congressional correspondent for The Times, explains how and why this small group of members made the chamber ungovernable.

Guest: Annie Karni, a congressional correspondent for The New York Times.

Background reading:

In early June, members of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus refused to surrender control of the floor, forcing Republican leaders to scrap votes for the week and leaving speaker Kevin McCarthy facing what he conceded was “chaos.”
The group effectively shut down the House floor, calling the speaker’s fiscal compromise with President Biden a betrayal.

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