McCarthy Sets Agenda for GOP Takeover

At a House Republican retreat in Florida, the current minority leader and party officials reviewed policies they plan to pursue and potential investigations to launch into people close with the Biden administration.

McCarthy has been effective as minority leader, uniting the party after a tumultuous election. He navigated a series of controversies involving far-right members, pushed Liz Cheney (R-WY) out of leadership, and negotiated through the bipartisan infrastructure plan.

He plans to move quickly as majority leader to advance the agenda before internal divisions emerge. “It’s Republican nature that they want to take down their leaders, it’s just what they do,” he half-joked in an interview at the conference.

He hopes to engage voters and encourage midterm turnout with the formal plan, which has been dubbed “Commitment to America”.

According to the Wall Street Journal, its proposals are sweeping:

Without providing specifics, Mr. McCarthy said Republicans will put forward proposals by this fall designed to combat inflation, boost U.S. energy production and secure the southern border. Mr. McCarthy is also working with Massachusetts Institute of Technology on a course to help teach members to better understand artificial technology and cybersecurity and their implications for policy.

“If we’re able to win on that kind of agenda, then we’ve got a clear direction and a mandate to go do those things, and then building that coalition is a lot more straightforward,” said Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise, the No. 2 House Republican. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R., N.Y.) the chair of the GOP conference, said Mr. McCarthy’s goal is to “fix big problems.”

While a GOP majority’s prospects for making new law are slim, as President Biden can veto legislation he opposes, the party also plans a series of investigations sought by GOP voters. These probes are expected to focus on such subjects as the power of large technology companies and the origins of the Covid-19 virus as well as Mr. Biden’s son and his chief medical adviser, Anthony Fauci.

“The base cares about base demands, ‘what are you going to do about Hunter Biden, what are you going to do about Dr. Fauci?’ They expect our committee to provide that and we will,” said James Comer (R., Ky.), the top Republican on the Oversight panel.