5 concessions Kevin McCarthy made to become speaker of the House

1. McCarthy vows to advance a budget that will balance within 10 years

In a statement reacting to McCarthy’s election as speaker, the Center for Renewing America President Russ Vought touted the contents of the agreement McCarthy made with the GOP holdouts, specifically noting that it would “balance the budget within 10 years, with substantial cuts to woke and weaponized government” in addition to dictating “the terms for the upcoming fight on the debt limit.” 

Vought, who served as director of the Office of Management and Budget during part of the Trump administration, praised the agreement as “a body blow against the DC political cartel that colludes against the American people.” His remarks reflect concerns about the $1.7 trillion omnibus bill passed with Republican support in the waning days of the 117th Congress that officially ended last week. 

The bill contained millions of dollars in funding for LGBT advocacy groups and awarded more than half a billion dollars for “family planning/reproductive health” in “areas where population growth threatens biodiversity or endangered species.” The terms “family planning” and “reproductive health” are often used as euphemisms for abortion.