Newsletter: A New Speaker

Dear friends - 

We finally have a Speaker of the House after over twenty days of GOP infighting. Going for so long without a Speaker was dangerous, unprecedented and, frankly, embarrassing.

For more than three weeks, many Democrats like myself have offered to work with Republicans to find a compromise candidate, someone who would best represent the views of the majority of Americans who want Congress to function effectively in a bipartisan way.

Multiple offers were on the table: to Kevin McCarthy to help him stay; to GOP moderates to agree on a compromise candidate; and to Republicans who might put country over party and vote for Leader Jeffries. (Remember that Jeffries had 212 votes, just 5 shy of the 217 required, while extremists like Jordan had 199; that means only 5 Republicans had to find the political courage to make a deal.)

I’ve received a lot of questions over the past few weeks about why Democrats weren’t “doing more.” But the truth is that Republicans were never interested in making a deal. New York Representative Elise Stefanik recently said “I strongly oppose any attempt to create a Democrat-backed coalition government.“ Andy Ogles of Tennessee sent out an official statement last week proudly proclaiming, “I’m a ‘No’ to Any Deal with Democrats.” 

So instead of a great leader who would rise above party politics, we got a Speaker who is significantly more conservative than the one he replaced. Speaker Johnson spoke passionately about American Values in his opening remarks, and I believe he meant it. He just left out the part where he doesn’t believe the same rights and values apply to every American. He thinks certain privileges are only allowed if you’re straight. He thinks men should have control over their bodies but not women. He even led a legal effort, signed by more than 100 Republicans, in support of a Texas lawsuit seeking to overturn the 2020 election results in multiple swing states. I’m not sure anything is more central to our American Values than honoring democracy.

Republicans who know Johnson well emphasize that he is a “decent man,” and I thought his opening speech was humble. In the best case, his humility and integrity will help him find a way to work honestly and productively with Democrats despite how much we disagree on core issues. He’s told me privately that he will.

But we’ll see… I’m willing–even eager–to work with him. But I will never hesitate to hold him and his extremist GOP colleagues accountable as well.

It’s time to move past this episode as a Congress so that we can get back to legislating. We need to pass the appropriate funding bills to keep the government open, and we need to expedite the President’s request for Ukraine, Israel, and disaster aid. In his speech, the new Speaker said, “I know that in your heart you love and care about this country and you want to do what's right, and so we're going to find common ground." 

I hope he sticks to his word. 

All the best,

Seth Moulton