JANESVILLE, Wis. — Republicans were close on Wednesday to taking back the speaker’s gavel in the U.S. House of Representatives, a move that would allow them to set the direction of legislation going forward.
While votes were still being counted, Republicans had 210 of the 218 seats they needed to capture the majority, and for Wisconsin U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil, that means seeing Republican priorities pushed to the top of the pile.
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“We’ve got to get inflation under control, we’ve got to bring down prices for families who are struggling, we’ve got to unleash American energy, we’ve got to stop reckless spending, and we’ve got to help people who still find themselves on the sidelines get back into the workforce,” the Janesville Republican said.
“We have to make our communities safe again,” he added. “We’ve seen crime spiking in some of our biggest cities including Madison and Milwaukee, now is the time to stand with the men and women of law enforcement.”
Steil said he would also back Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican who currently serves as the minority leader, for the speaker’s job.
When asked Wednesday afternoon about what he would do with a divided government, President Joe Biden said he is “prepared to work with my Republican colleagues” and that Americans expect Republicans to also work with him.
Biden also said there’s still a possibility of Democrats keeping control of the House.
“It’s going to be very close,” he said.
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