McCarthy Wins Over Rebels Following Reports Of Defence Spending Deal

The 12th vote to determine the next Speaker of the House of Representatives is underway.

• Rep Dan Bishops (R-GA) become and Rep Josh Brecheen become the first two of the 20 rebel voters to switch their vote to McCarthy.
• Bloomberg reported shortly before the vote that Republican leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) cut a deal with Republican rebels that would lead to a USD$75 billion in defence spending.
• So far, four rebels have switched their votes and it is unclear if the defence deal will prise away enough rebels votes to end the blockade.
• Such a deal is unlikely to sit well with the majority of the Republican caucus who have consistently voted to increase defence spending at a greater rate than Democrats.
• McCarthy said shortly before entering the chamber: “I think watch here — you’ll see some people who have been voting against me voting for me.”
• Additional ballots are to be expected today as McCarthy hopes to whittle down the conservative opposition and hope the pressure forces the group to capitulate.