Dear America,

I am writing this letter regarding the election for the House speaker position. Over the past few days, Congressman Kevin McCarthy struggled to secure enough votes to become House speaker, taking him until the 15th round to win the job. For those who are unaware, the role of House speaker means being the leader of the House of Representatives and standing third in the line of presidential succession, following the Vice President. On top of overseeing the house staff, other responsibilities of the House speaker include setting forth the voting agenda and coordinating alongside the party leaders of the Senate and, if needed, the White House to steer legislation through the congress.

That said, McCarthy has promised an agenda he calls "Commitment to America" - a platform that focuses on four key pillars — the economy, security, public safety, freedom, and government accountability. Some of the critical plans include an attempt to repeal the $80 Billion in new IRS funding, pass a "Parent's" Bill of Rights, and enact a committee to investigate China and the withdrawal of Afghanistan. However, the hopes are that in addition to the above, a newly elected Republican-led House could also begin investigations into the Biden family and into the election interference by collusion of Big Tech and governments, as well as securing the southern border.

While Kevin McCarthy has promised to go with some of the agenda mentioned above, some in his party doubt his ability to lead and had prevented him from securing enough votes to be the house speaker. McCarthy was forced to work with and make concessions with individual members of his party and the Freedom Caucus - a group of conservatives in the Republican party. Some of these concessions included the following:

• Limits on spending for both defense and domestic spending

• Create a subcommittee on the “Weaponization of the Federal Government”

• Reinstitute the Holman rule, a law that allows for the reduction in government officials’ salaries and any other compensation paid by the U.S. Treasury

• Changes to House Procedures and Term Limit Vote

• Lower the number GOP conference members needed to start a process of removing the speaker from 5 to one

• Promising to give House members 72 hours to review bills before they come to the floor

Even after making these concessions, McCarthy faced strong opposition until the last round of voting. The fight for the "gavel" was the longest it has ever been since 1855, and it was received with mixed opinions. Republican leaders and so-called conservative news outlets have criticized those who failed to vote in McCarthy and prolonged the process. They argue that when a time when Republican unity is needed the most, these individuals make a mockery out of the Republican party. Some have even gone as far as to say that those preventing McCarthy from being sworn in were "enemies" of the state and were failing the American people.

As an American who has voted for the change, how do I feel about this current situation? Contrary to what the news outlets and elected officials might tell you, I supported the opposition against McCarthy. What happened during the fight for the gavel was what our founding fathers intended to occur in a democracy. Our system was created to protect and represent the minority, which is what we saw. The 20 or so Republicans initially voting against McCarthy demonstrated that blindly serving parties could present a dangerous ultimatum to democracy – stagnation. The concessions that McCarthy agreed to make are much-needed changes and should be considered a victory for our system.

By now, Americans should know that our country must undergo significant change if we wish to maintain freedom and democracy in the coming decades. The status quo we see in Washington has led us to where we are today and on a path toward America's demise.

Unfortunately, McCarthy's actions in the past demonstrate an elected official who has gone against his party, with values not tied to protecting and representing the American people but his interests. I hope by now that the failure to secure the necessary votes needed for house speaker is a wake-up call for Congressman McCarthy. A much-needed change is at the steps of Washington, and the question is, will Washington let the change in?

Signed,

G.S.P.