Politics
McCarthy Voted Out As US Speaker
By nigeriancourier.com on oct 4, 2023
Republican Kevin McCarthy rode the tiger of far-right US politics led by Donald Trump to achieve his dream of becoming House speaker early this year. Then on Tuesday, the tiger turned and ate him.
The 55th speaker of the House of Representatives was booted out in a shock vote brought by rebels in his own party who have seethed in the nine months since McCarthy narrowly quelled their attempts to block him and managed to claim the most powerful job in Congress.
No other speaker — a position second in line from the presidency in the federal hierarchy — has been ousted in US history.
It was an undignified end — for now, at least — to an unstable, unauthoritative tenure by a lawmaker who made his mark as a so-called conservative “Young Gun,” only to get battered by his party’s shifting political currents.
Like many in Congress, he had berated Trump after the January 6, 2021 US Capitol riot. But the ambitious lawmaker sensed the winds changing and quickly reversed himself, making a public trip down to Florida to make peace with Trump — thereby securing crucial support for his speakership ambitions.
Once McCarthy, 58, got what he wanted, though, he faced an uncomfortable reality: his grip on power would from then on be at the whim of his party’s burn-down-the-house hardliners.
Compromise Kills
In May he strode into a tense standoff with Democratic President Joe Biden over authorizing an extension of the national debt limit.
He struck an 11th-hour deal to avert a catastrophic US debt default, and while he hailed it as a victory for conservatives — and good governance — he faced a backlash from hardliners who said he had made too many concessions on spending cuts.
His limited engagement with Democrats was again the subject of the far-right’s ire last week when he used votes from the rival party to stave off a government shutdown.
The move defied hardliners — and Trump — who advocated harsh tactics in pursuit of forcing massive spending cuts and bringing down the country’s $31-trillion-plus debt burden.
Haunted from the Start
McCarthy has described himself as an “optimist,” but there has been no placating the uncompromising right-wing of the Republican Party that flourished under Trump and never went away.
Simply to secure the speakership in January took him a record 15 rounds of voting to win and he finally got over the line only after making concessions to a bloc of around 20 far-right Republicans.
Analysts at the time immediately predicted this would come back to haunt McCarthy, by putting the hardliners in the driving seat.
One of those concessions was a rule change that made it possible for just one disgruntled member to call a vote for a new speaker of the House, effectively dangling a sword over McCarthy.
Backbencher Matt Gaetz, a Trump loyalist and emerging face of the far-right, seized on that change and filed the so-called motion to vacate the chair, leading to McCarthy’s ouster on Tuesday.
– Networker –
The speaker wields huge influence in Washington by presiding over House business and is second in line to the presidency, after the vice president.
Nothing prevents McCarthy from running for speaker again. But the question is: can his party overcome its internal feuds and hand him back the gavel, or will they turn to new blood?
McCarthy — who represents the conservative enclave of Bakersfield in liberal California — has been in politics for most of his adult life, as a state legislator and US lawmaker in Washington.
The son of a firefighter and grandson of a cattle rancher, McCarthy grew up in a working-class household.
He married his high school sweetheart and the couple still live in the first house they bought, where they raised two children.
McCarthy, first elected to Congress in 2006, has no major legislative achievements to his name and has never chaired a House committee, unlike each of the last three speakers.
However, the silver-haired, impeccably dressed lawmaker is a consummate networker, admired for his prolific fundraising and his people management.
AFP
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The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations, Rep. Abubakar Kabir Bichi, has distributed 13 buses to tertiary institutions in Kano State to enhance teaching, learning and institutional mobility.
The buses were presented to selected universities, colleges of education, polytechnics and secondary institutions to ease transportation challenges faced by staff and students during academic, administrative and extracurricular activities.
Speaking at the presentation ceremony, Bichi said the intervention was aimed at supporting educational institutions to improve service delivery and operational efficiency.
According to him, education remains the bedrock of development and requires sustained support to thrive.
“Providing these buses is our modest contribution towards creating an enabling environment for learning and academic excellence in Kano State,” he said.
Bichi, who represents Bichi Federal Constituency, noted that the initiative aligned with his commitment to attracting meaningful interventions to the education sector through his legislative responsibilities.
“As Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, I consider it a duty to ensure that institutions in Kano State benefit from opportunities that enhance their capacity,” he added.
Details of the distribution showed that Bayero University, Kano; Northwest University, Kano; and Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology, Wudil, each received two buses, while the Federal College of Education (Technical), Bichi, also received two buses.
Other beneficiaries include Yusuf Maitama Sule University of Education, Kano; Kano State Polytechnic; Sa’adatu Rimi College of Education; Ibrahim Ayagi Science Secondary School, Dawakin Tofa; and Aminu Kano College of Islamic and Legal Studies, which each received one bus.
Representatives of the beneficiary institutions expressed appreciation for the gesture, describing it as timely and impactful.
One of the officials said the buses would significantly reduce transportation challenges and support academic fieldwork, student movement and official engagements.
Stakeholders described the distribution as a demonstration of the dividends of democracy and called for sustained collaboration between lawmakers and educational institutions to further strengthen education in Kano State.
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Kano State House of Assembly and the Bauchi State House of Assembly have agreed to strengthen cooperation aimed at improving lawmaking processes and reforming revenue administration in both states.
The resolution was reached when members of the Bauchi State House of Assembly, led by the Chairman, Committee on Finance, paid a courtesy visit to the Speaker of the Kano State House of Assembly, Jibril Ismail Falgore.
This is contained in a statement issued by the Speaker’s Spokesperson, Kamaluddeen Shawai on Wednesday in Kano.
Falgore, represented by the Deputy Speaker, Muhammad Butu -Butu, commended the Bauchi lawmakers for the visit and reaffirmed the Kano Assembly’s commitment to deepen collaboration in legislation, House procedures and revenue-related reforms.
Falgore who responded to a condolence message from the Bauchi delegation, said the Kano Assembly was still mourning the loss of two of its members and appreciated the show of solidarity.
He also assured the delegation that the Kano State Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) Revenue Harmonization Law of 2016 remained in force and was available for review by the Bauchi Assembly.
Earlier, the Majority Leader of the Kano State House of Assembly, Lawal Hussain Dala, said the harmonised tax law was enacted to eliminate multiple taxation and enhance efficiency in revenue collection.
Dala recalled the long-standing relationship between Kano and Bauchi states, noting that Bauchi had influenced Kano’s political development since the era of Malam Aminu Kano, with both states benefiting from shared legislative experiences.
Similarly, the Clerk of the house,, Alhaji Bashir Diso, emphasised the importance of the harmonised tax law to both states and thanked the Bauchi delegation for the visit.
Speaking earlier, the Chairman, Committee on Finance, Bauchi State House of Assembly, Ibrahim Tanko Nura, commended the performance of Kano’s Appropriation Committee and other standing committees.
He said the visit was aimed at exchanging ideas and seeking approval to obtain a copy of the harmonised tax law for study and possible implementation in Bauchi State.
The document, he explained, would be studied in detail with a view to assessing its applicability and potential implementation in Bauchi State, as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen the state’s fiscal framework and enhance revenue generation for sustainable development.
“We are committed to working together, learning from Kano’s achievements over the years and doing what is best for our people,” Tanko said.
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The Speaker of the Kano State House of Assembly, Alhaji Jibril Falgore, has condemned the killing of a woman and her six children in the state, describing the incident as barbaric and heartbreaking.
Falgore, in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Kamaluddeen Shawai, said the arrest of three suspects by the Nigeria Police Force was a welcome development toward ensuring justice for the victims.
He urged security agencies to carry out thorough investigations to ensure that all those involved in the crime were brought to justice.
The Speaker commended the swift response of the police, noting that crimes of such nature must not be allowed to go unpunished in the state.
“This shocking incident committed against an innocent woman and her children is painful and unacceptable. While we commend the police for arresting suspects, investigations must be exhaustive until justice is fully served,” he said.
Falgore aligned himself with the call by the Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, for prompt and transparent handling of the case to reassure residents of the government’s commitment to protecting lives and property.
He assured that the Kano State House of Assembly would continue to support security agencies in their efforts to maintain peace and security across the state.
The Speaker expressed condolences, on behalf of the Assembly, to the families of the victims, the government and the people of Kano State, urging residents to remain calm and law-abiding.
He prayed for the repose of the souls of the deceased and asked Allah to grant their families the fortitude to bear the loss.
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