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.
For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
This is an unofficial transcript meant for reference. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
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Republicans one a resource pin majority in the house of representatives last year. There have been predict
that a small group of far right members would make the chamber on governance all over the past few weeks. That prediction has proven correct. My calling any cardy explains
It's tuesday june twenty seven annie. It is very nice to see you. I welcome back. Thank you for having me happy to be here. We wanted to do
yo because over the past couple of weeks something started happening in congress that we wanted to better understand lawmakers from both parties. Democrats publicans had just passed this big.
when a deal to avoid a: u s: financial default on its debt, everybody breathe a sigh of relief and then right after that, strange things started to happen within the republican, controlled house. So pick up a story there and
Tell us about that. What's been happening is that over the last few weeks, Kevin Mccarthy, the speaker of the house, has basically lost control of his chamber after he cut the debt ceiling deal with president Biden, he received a lot of blowback from far right members of his conference, the freedom caucus who are livid that he didn't follow through on promises he made to them specifically and spent
cuts and basically feel I beg our role that this whole process, the you know there are aware that they have a ton of power in this dynamic of the house where there is a force, eat majority and they think they have a power sharing agreement with Kevin Mccarthy. So after that debt deal where they feel like they were sold out, they use that power to
get back at speaker but her and how do they get back at him? They could have tried to get rid of him. Call the snap foot on the house floor to remove him as speaker. They chose not to do that. Instead, they did something. That's arguably
more painful and could be a more ongoing torture of the speaker and what is that painful, ongoing torture? What these far right, members of the house did was they shut down the floor of the house on june sex? They create this blockade that makes it impossible for a pub.
Hence to bring adele to the floor. For about four just explain, I mean how do you blockade the house for this
it's a little in the weeds by its fascinating for a bill to get a vote on the floor. First, the house has to pass a rule. Typically, no one pays attention to a rule vote, it's just a procedural measure and it's just
party line vote? So the adage is vote party on the rule for your conscience on the bill
It happened here. Was these far right members who wanted to block the floor voted with democrats to bring down the rule if the rule doesn't pass. The bill can't come to the floor. Hawks. Would republicans vote with Democrats
That's very unexpected in order to knock down the rule vote in order to then keep anything from being introduced on the floor, yes, and that completely freezes the floor at that meeting,
that they are standing in the way of the republican agenda at a standstill. Mccarthy have meetings all day with these members who are on strike
glee and, at the end of the day, they ended up cancelling a whole week, a floor action and basically sending people home because there was no agreement, so has republicans decide to punish their leader by making
it impossible for anything to happen on the house for including anything by their own party. I asked
they're just shutting down that's so how does this blockade and the way the blockade ends is not with some big agreement? That means this will never happen again. The blockade ends on the terms of the freedom caucus members. They ended. There was a bill, they felt very passionate,
and needed to pass. It was a gun, related conservative issue that they really liked, so they ended on their terms and they made it very clear. They weren't removing this threat that they can shut down the house flora for a day a week as long as they want. Okay. So any that's the first major episode in this post debt ceiling
I guess we could call it mutiny by hard right house republicans and very much undermines speaker mccarthy's authority. So what happens next? What happens next if they find another way to disobey mccarthy and sort of disrupt his control of the floor, which is by using something that's known as a privileged resolution? This is a tool that any member can use that basically allows you to introduce a resolution, and it goes around the speaker, a bypasses and a committee work and flow,
I schedule that the leadership controls and it just allows you to bring this resolution directly to the floor bright because normally a resolution has to go through a series of bureaucratic steps, basically an approval process before it gets anywhere near the house floor, but you're saying that this
being called a privilege resolution allows a house member to basically skip, although steps go, rogue and I'm guessing that this tool has been around for a while, but that its use is deeply
frowned upon, this has been around for a while, yes and Mccarthy has pleaded with his members. Dont use these to try and control the agenda on the floor. He said to them part of what we agreed
in that fraud speakers race was a return to regular order. This is
regular order, regular order means going through committees that doesn't mean just bringing up something.
On your own, that you want to do and forcing a vote on it. But a lot of these please he does in these conference meetings every week, really fall on deaf ears. Mr speaker, pursuant to clause to a one of rule, nine, I seek recognition to give notice of my intent to raise a question of privileges of the house, the fourth so on june thirteenth, a republican lawmaker named anna polina luna she's, a freshman from Florida, part of the freedom caucus uses one of these privileged resolutions to try and censure Adam schiff ethics. That representative schiff lied
made representations and abuse sensitive information. Adam shift is the former democratic chairman of the house intelligence committee, who gained a lot of fame and hatred on the right because he was the lead prosecutor in terms first impeachment trial right. So he's long been a republican political target, but now Luna decides that she wants to censure him for conduct that misleads the american people in a way that is not for a fall.
Lee, claiming that there is evidence of collusion between trump campaign and russia and the first impeachment, and she decides to find him
sixteen million dollar sixteen million dollars a figure. She says she comes up with because its half the cost of what that impeachment trial caused by this bigger and committee on ethics shall conduct an investigation into representative adam ships lies miss rubber
innovations and abuses of sensitive information
wow and just as a reminder. Any a censure is a rare and a very public form of rebuke. It's kind of like an official scolding from congress, and here you're saying that already severe measure it sounds like is being paired with a very severe financial find that might bankrupt your average congressperson. Ah yeah for sure the house is only censured to other people in the last two decades, and these were for much more concrete and serious issues. They centered Paul goes Sarah republican from arizona a few years ago for tweeting out violent depictions of himself striking alexandria, Ocasio cortez with a sword and then right, Charlie Rangel, the former democratic congressman from
work with censured. First, serious financial and campaign misconduct- those are the only two examples in the past twenty years and now this one, which really seems to be politically motivated as pay back from a trump loyalist against a person who has long been a political target, especially for trump guarded, and what's the reaction from speaker Mccarthy to this resolution, which, as you described it, is intended to go around him well even before she brings it up, he is trying to talk or out of it, that's what people I spoke with told me. He tries to convince her you're doing shift a huge favour here. You might end of helping
elect him to the Senate is currently running for california. Ascendancy. Do this through a committee like that's regular order? Don't do this the other argument they make to her, as this doesn't have the votes they're, pretty convinced that she can pass this, especially with that sixteen million dollar fine, which is something that a lot of republicans actually opposed. Finding a member of congress in that manner that she expressed great confidence that she had the votes she's on the warpath, so it happens that day is it actually does fail and it looks like she really miscalculated and lots of, I think a twenty republicans voted against it to block the resolute.
and so, as mccarthy has predicted it doesn't succeed, it doesn't succeed, and this is a little example right here of his loss of control. This is a waste of time on the house floor. It's a bit of an embarrassment for the whole team here, including mccarthy and adam schiff. Meanwhile, is sending out fundraising, email after fundraising, email, I'm the number one target, and I heard
out of hand, wringing for moderate republicans, saying we dont like Adam shift either and were making in kind donation to the Senate campaign
or are other words they felt this was not only a bit of an embarrassing breakdown of the system, but just politically kind of stupid, politically stupid, so they're frustrated on multiple levels by this ploy got it, but Luna is not deterred by this failure. In fact, she tweets out that she's playing four dimensional chess- and this is all part of her grand plan and mccarthy's house leadership- works with her to figure out a way to make this resolution actually work. What that means is dropping the sixteen million dollar fine and then they get behind it and Mccarthy supports it and she's back
the floor with her privilege resolution to censure adam shift and this time the age of two hundred thirteen and the knave or two hundred nine. It passes long party lines and they officially new censure a member for the third time in two decades. We in order it was a kind of dramatic
moment on the house floor where democrats started chanting, shame shame. Shame from the well wow.
So thinking back to where we began, Mccarthy could not prevent that embarrassed
legislative blockade. He couldn't stop the ultimate censoring of adam
shift, even though he originally tries to it sounds like the best he can do
This new world, in which far right republicans are openly rebelling against him, is the kind of guide something that he hates into something that he hates
we'll ass. So this does not sound like it's going super well, for it become a guiding, that's exactly right. The best he can do in these situations is kind of mitigate the damage and that's what he's done and he now
is every day that his troubles are not behind him and are only probably getting worse than what happens the same week as the shift censure is Mccarthy has to do this all over again when another member surprises him with a privileged wrestle.
Jane and this time the stakes are even higher.
Aubrey pack.
I play word on spelling bee every single day. That's the first thing I do play word all bomb making avi by poor myself, a cup into the car.
Swear it, which is the jewel of my morning. I started a word or two hundred ninety four days ago and I have in place today what's our starting work today, I think it should be punished
and the storm is a good one b r. I s k because it's a brisk day outside I'm probably more consistent with doing the crossword than brushing my teeth. I don't think there's a day that I've missed it, I'm definitely a monday or tuesday player, but I aspire to do friday and saturday puzzles. I have seen you do, spelling bee during meetings when you're supposed to be that never happens when you win a puzzle
Will you get that you're a genius? I always take a screen shot and send it to my wife the near times crossword. It really is a moment of then that plans, my brain, I wish the days were shorter. The words were longer join us
play all near times, games at an why times, dot com, slash games subscribed by
twenty ninth to get a special offer. So any tell us about this next unpleasant surprise that speaker, mccarthy encounters from his republican colleagues. The next thing that happens that same week is another member
Far right. Freedom, carcass gentlewoman is recognised for six minutes. This time it's lauren bow bird of cholera, MR speaker, I rise and today and support of my impeachment bill that will hold Joe Biden accountable for the dereliction of one of his most basic duties. She brings a privileged resolution to the floor for the first time. In twenty four years, a house republican led majority is moving forward with impeachment proceedings against a current president, and this time it's introducing articles
men against Joe Biden. She also gives no one a heads up that she is planning to do this and will grounds does congresswoman billboard site for introducing articles of impeachment. The Biden, border crisis and massive wave of illegal immigration has fuelled a record breaking that now.
I says she claims that he deserves to be impeached because he has failed to secure the southern border and that he has knowingly fail to enforce immigration laws. His actions and open borders agenda demonstrate that he has no intention of enforcing our current immigration import
our security statutes on the books. She doesn't exactly lay out proof of high crimes and misdemeanours that is typically the bar for and teaching a president every member should vote do hold president Joe Biden accountable. Mr speaker, I yelled gentlewoman yields man, I mean that's about as big as it gets. Impeaching presidency wants to do that without consulting with the speaker, gauss chess, without going through committees that building a case. It's unheard of, and most of her colleagues are alive it about this and think it's basically like a stunt impeachment that you know
if republicans talked about impeaching Biden during the campaign, and here she is delivering on that promise. Hmm. It also strikes me that this feels a lot like the censure of adam schiff. In that it's a privilege,
pollution that feels like it is
what to do with avenging the enemies of donald trump. It does, and it comes on the heels of trump being indicted by the justice department, which you know has republicans railing against a two tiered justice system. The house is the one branch of government that they still control, and so a few of them are decided that this is the most productive way to get back to impeach president, but without a real sense of what crimes he committed. Yes, so what does speaker Mccarthy do in this case? What is his response to this privileged resolution act of rebellion? This is a terrible position for him and for most of them
present as conference. Mccarthy is very aware that impeachment is unpopular with voters and he tries to convince them that this is not how you do a real impeachment. You don't do it in two days. You build a real case. You present the case to voters to convince them that there are really crimes that need to be prosecuted. He tells them in their closed door conference meeting. You know, like we vote on this. We send this over to the senate
It has no chance of passage in a Democrat, controlled Senate and he kind of tells them like. Is this the majority we want to be? If this is how we want to be like we're going to be a two year majority where it'll lose control of the house? But can you explain that what what does it? What does he mean exactly? He means that this looks like a joke. It looks like a political stunt and it doesn't resonate with voters. Voters care about the economy. They care about inflation. They can come at the cost of a gallon of milk voters want lawmakers, looking like they're, doing serious work that affects their lives and
I think Mccarthy is trying to say here doing a flimsy impeachment, where we haven't even laid out the case to voters of why we have proof of high crimes and misdemeanors. That's how you squander your majority right just saying this is how we lose the next election. This is how a four c republican majority becomes a democratic majority. By pulling things like this, so he's saying: don't do it he's saying: don't do it the problem as some of the people, he sang that too likely don't care. If they're in the majority are in the minority, think about a bomb thrower
or someone who is really not here because they want to legislate, but because they want to get attention or disrupt how government works. You can do that from either side. So he has a good argument. There resonates with a lot of members, but a lot of members couldn't care less.
right, I'm guessing congresswoman over is one of those lawmakers who couldn't care less. But what does she say in response to display while she does and up finding a deal with mccarthy, which is that they will take a vote which word refer, her impeachment articles to two powerful committees?
the homeland security committee and the judiciary committee, where they all investigate these border.
use, is immigration issues and take up the issue of impeachment through a committee whose she gets to save face and say I got the ball rolling on abiding impeachment, which is something that we ve talked about for months now. We have committees really looking into it. Mccarthy got to head off a painful vote for members and did not actually have to do in impeachment vote on the house for and a lot of time
It's the way people kind of berry legislation they don't want to deal with is just to refer to committees. So I heard from a lot of mater of publicans who hope that this was the last we ever hear of barbara's impeachment articles and they just die a quiet death in the homeland, security and judiciary committees will see right, there's always the chance that those articles of impeachment come out of that committee and are referred to the full house. I mean any once again if we think about Mccarthy's playbook here. It feels like his
best option, as with the shift censure, was to water down an act of rebellion here once again
other than truly snuff it out exactly right. He again kind have found a way to divert this, to make it less painful for his members to make it less painful for himself to make it less embarrassing for republicans. But still what did we do? This last week in the house, we
Word, you know them considering impeachment articles brought by one of the far right members of the conference who are dictating what the business on the floor is this week as they did when they shut down completely, so he is doing the best he can and each one of these cases it's almost like playing whack a mole trying to put each one of these down in a way that causes him and the conference, the least
pan any. This all feels like the precise scenario that so many political observers and our colleagues at the times predicted might come to pass. Given the math of this congress that the republican majority
would be so small that it would empower a few of these firebrands. Like your lauren boats, whose actions would color how voters view the entire republican party- and you mentioned- that mccarthy worries aloud-
that this is going to result in republicans losing the house I'm kind of curious based on your reporting, if that's a widely held view that this campaign
Vengeance, this mutiny against Mccarthy, if it really is seen as something that is a perilous political path for the republicans it is, I mean, I think, there's a lot of concern. Among republicans
who worked on the hell who work around the hell that they could lose the house majority next year, and this is exactly the kind of behaviour and the kind of bills that will ensure that, and this kind of behaviour is exactly what makes them all so livid at members, I've learned buber. If matters
he's right and these far right house members are putting the entire party on a very dangerous political path. What can Mccarthy do about it and it sounds like there's not much you can do, but are there any options? I assume he doesn't want to be. The republican speaker
barely got elected in the first place and then overseas a two year, narrow republican majority, but that is what he is openly worrying is about to happen,
Yes, he's openly worrying about that possibility, and I think he doesn't think particularly long term like that, I think he's on a day to day whack em, all
lifestyle right now where he has to deal with the fire in front of him and his ammo is like live another day survive another day. I think that he does still have a lot of confidence from a large majority of his members who think like this is an impossible situation and it's not exactly clear who could be handling this any better. It's a terrible
add a terrible dynamic and he doesn't have much control, so any wood is going to be the next chapter of this saga. For the house, republicans, the next chapter of this saga becomes a lot more serious when congress comes back from their recess that they start this week, they have some actual serious business before them. Like passing important spending bills, funding the government staving off a government shutdown, so the stakes are going to matter. So, what's going to happen as mccarthy's going to be dealing with this same dynamic, where he's playing whack a mole every day and he's going to be dealing with the same lack of trust and anger
that all grew out of the dead sailing delay ford from Biden, while also have to pass really important bills. That's what awaits him after rhesus sounds like a dream for him dream job or any. Thank you very much appreciated. Thank you. Michael
next week when the house were turns from recess, republicans are expected
consider a set of resolutions boot introduced by far right members that would seek to export
the two impeachment of former president trump on the grounds that
the original cases against him or on
institutional order right back there too.
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that I gave lucia subordinate insurers, but I shares cassim gradually number I on monday, in it.
First public remarks, since a rebellion against his government was called off russian president Vladimir Putin said that the revolt failed because
the entire russian society united. The speech appeared to be aimed at projecting
the unity and stability after the most.
Real challenge to Putin's power in decades, but in it he offered
major concession to members of the militia who stage the rebellion saying that if they wished
could move to neighbouring belarus and rejoined their leader have guinea promotion who led the rebellion.
And let
on Monday night CNN published an audiovisual
from twenty twenty one in which former president trumped shared classified information about a possible
plan of attack against iran with writers, pooh lacked security clearances. The recording has become a centrepiece of the special council indictment against strong for taking classified documents from the white house.
and refusing to return in the recording trump,
I just to those in the room this immature
he showing off is highly sensitive and explicitly states that he had not declassified,
In this version, I can do as a pool to these episodes
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Transcript generated on 2023-06-28.