The House of Representatives voted to adjourn until 10 p.m. Friday, shortly after Republican California Rep. Kevin McCarthy flipped the votes of 15 of his GOP detractors.
Republican leaders called for the vote, which passed along party lines, to give McCarthy supporters Ken Buck of Colorado and Wesley Hunt of Texas time to return to the Capitol. Buck was absent for the early votes due to a medical issue, while Hunt returned home following the birth of his son. (RELATED: Here’s Why 15 Republicans Flipped Their Support To Kevin McCarthy)
McCarthy peeled off 14 “no” votes on the twelfth ballot following intense negotiations on a rules package, which reportedly includes committee representation for conservative members and steep spending cuts. Republican Maryland Rep. Andy Harris, who has been angling for an Appropriations subcommittee chairmanship, flipped his vote on the thirteenth ballot.
The two unsuccessful votes on Friday pushed the 2023 ballot to the fifth-longest in American history, and longest since 1859.
More moderate members of the House Republican Conference have expressed concern about some provisions of the agreement.
“We don’t want to go back to sequestration. That would be very damaging to our military,” Texas Rep. Michael McCaul, the incoming chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told the Daily Caller. “You’ll see the House come out with a package and the Senate always does their own thing.”
“We don’t want to go back to sequestration. That would be very damaging to our military,” Rep. Michael McCaul tells @DailyCaller of reported deal between McCarthy and Freedom Caucus. Says he just spoke with Lindsey Graham on issue.
— Michael Ginsberg (@mikeginsberg98) January 6, 2023
Several McCarthy supporters are hoping to leave Washington, D.C., for the weekend, which could further complicate the Californian’s math.