President Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) were among the top Democrats commenting Nov. 16 on Republicans flipping the House of Representatives in the midterm elections.
Biden congratulated House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who is vying to become the next speaker, on the accomplishment of wresting control of the House from Democrats.
Biden also said he is prepared to work with the new majority “to deliver results for working families.”
“In this election, voters spoke clearly about their concerns: the need to lower costs, protect the right to choose, and preserve our democracy. As I said last week, the future is too promising to be trapped in political warfare. The American people want us to get things done for them. They want us to focus on the issues that matter to them and on making their lives better,” Biden said. “And I will work with anyone—Republican or Democrat—willing to work with me to deliver results for them.”
McCarthy said recently that he would “work with anybody that wants to put American first and move us in the right direction.”
Pelosi, meanwhile, said that House Democrats “defied expectations” in the midterms, referring to how some analysts predicted Republicans would flip so many seats that they would enjoy a majority of a dozen or two seats.
Instead, the majority will be just a handful of seats, complicating GOP efforts to get things done.
“In the next Congress, House Democrats will continue to play a leading role in supporting President Biden’s agenda—with strong leverage over a scant Republican majority,” Pelosi said.
The called races as of Nov. 17 have Republicans with 218 seats in the next Congress, and Democrats with 211 seats. Six seats still remain uncalled, including those involving Reps. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) and Katie Porter (D-Calif.).
McCarthy has faced opposition within his party, primarily from the House Freedom Caucus, raising questions about how effective Republicans can be in the majority.
“We have to work as a team, or we’ll lose as individuals,” McCarthy said on Fox News late Wednesday. “And I believe this conference will rally together.”
Republicans have vowed to take action on key issues including the economy and the border, and launch investigations into the origins of COVID-19, the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, and Biden’s son Hunter Biden.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who is poised to be majority leader again in the next Congress, has not commented on the Republicans flipping the House.
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Zachary Stieber covers U.S. and world news for The Epoch Times. He is based in Maryland.
