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Newly sworn-in Rep. Lawler says he’s ready to move agenda forward following House GOP inter-party fight

January 8, 2023

News 12

Newly sworn-in District-17 Rep. Mike Lawler said Sunday he is already moving on from an inter-party fight that took four days to elect House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

A group of about 20 Congress members kept voting against McCarthy, which angered their Republican colleagues. They wouldn’t give in until the 15th round of voting.

Lawler said he was on a team tasked with whipping votes and doing press interviews to keep Americans informed.

“All of us had a role to play in dealing with each other and trying to work through it together as a conference, and really try to land the plane here and get everybody on board,” Lawler said.

Lawler believes this fight that some opponents said would damage the Republican Party might end up strengthening it. As messy as it was, he said he is proud to have been a part of the solution.

“Sometimes it’s good to have real robust debate and discussion and I think, frankly, we don’t always see that in government,” Lawler added.

Lawler, who is on the record as not being a supporter of former President Donald Trump, credited him in helping end the fight.

“It speaks to his relationships with some of the people who were holding out, that he was able to speak to them and get them on board. I don’t think it says anything more than that, frankly,” Lawler said.

Lawler said now he can focus on his agenda of reining in government spending, increasing domestic oil production and fixing the immigration system.

He hopes to serve on the Finance and Foreign Affairs committees.