USA: Unprecedented scenes in Congress – The headlock on a member of parliament who decided to abstain

After four days of absolute chaos and 15 votes, with unprecedented images in the US Congress, Republican Kevin McCarthy was finally elected president of the House of Representatives, after first having to make extensive concessions to the “insurgent” group of the hard-right of the party.

Characteristic was the moment, during the 14th ballot, when Rep. Matt Gage decided to abstain, causing a fight with his colleague, also a Republican, Mike Rogers.

Therefore, given that the rules of operation of the body do not apply as there was still no election of a new president after the mid-term elections in the USA, millions of Americans had the opportunity to enjoy in real time and with open microphones the transactions made for the Republican elect to be in Nancy Pelosi’s place.

What they never expected to see, however, was the headlock it took Alabama Republican Rep. Mike Rogers to keep from “diving by the collar” on his Florida counterpart, Matt Gage, because he felt he was doing bargaining at his expense in order to allow the election of McCarthy.

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Deep polarization

McCarthy’s Pyrrhic victory, which ended the deepest congressional dysfunction in more than 160 years, but also highlighted the difficulties he will face as head of a thin and deeply polarized majority.

He eventually won by a vote of 216-212. He managed to get elected with less than half the votes of the members of the House of Representatives because six members of his own party did not vote, did not support McCarthy and also did not vote for another candidate.

President Joe Biden congratulated him, calling on him to “govern responsibly and in the interest of the American people.” “I am ready to work with Republicans when possible, and voters have made it clear that they expect Republicans to be just as ready to work with me,” the US president said in a statement.

“I’m glad it’s over,” McCarthy himself told reporters shortly after the vote.

President under… hostage

McCarthy agreed to a demand by the “hardliners”, according to which any MP would be able to ask for his removal at any time.

This will have the effect of severely curtailing his power when trying to pass legislation on critical issues including funding the government, dealing with the upcoming US debt ceiling and other crises that may arise.

As it turned out, the slim 222-212 majority the Republicans secured in the November midterm elections gave an outsize power to “hardliners” who opposed McCarthy’s leadership.

His concessions, which include a big “scissors” of public spending and other cuts, could cause further turmoil in the coming months, especially if Congress needs to give its consent to a further increase in the United States’ borrowing capacity, which is now to 31.4 trillion dollars.

Over the past decade, Republicans have repeatedly shut down parts of the government and pushed the world’s largest economy to the brink of bankruptcy in an effort to squeeze out big spending cuts, usually without success.

Finally, in a detail with significant symbolism, McCarthy’s Pyrrhic victory came the day after the two-year anniversary of the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. After 24 months and given what has unfolded in recent days in Congress , it is evident that Donald Trump’s “imprint” on the Republicans and more broadly on the US political system, maintains a strong divisive mark.