Promises Promises

Kevin McCarthy rolls out House GOP 'Commitment to America'

September 24, 2022

.polaris__post-meta--date { display: none; } .polaris__post-meta--date.no-script { display: block; padding-left: 45px } September 24, 2022

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), flanked by hard-right and more centrist members of his caucus, unveiled his party's new "Commitment to America" agenda in Pennsylvania on Friday, laying out in broad strokes some of the things House Republicans will try to do if they win control of the chamber in November.

"The agenda was light on details and avoided certain topics that polls show are not favorable to Republicans' chances of electoral success," like abortion, the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, or defunding the FBI to protect former President Donald Trump, The New York Times reports. Instead it focuses on items that can unite McCarthy's fractious caucus, like firing IRS agents and increasing border security.

The weeklong rollout of the slim "Commitment to America" document was marred by prematurely released materials, a fake Abraham Lincoln quote, and a gauzy rollout video of bucolic Americana that features stock footage from Russia and Ukraine, according to detailed analysis by HuffPo.

But wait, there's more!Here's a side-by-side of a boy featured in the GOP's video -- with the words "liberty and the pursuit of happiness" on the screen, a nod to America's Declaration of Independence -- and the original stock footage, filmed in Russia's Volgograd region. pic.twitter.com/uTKsM6X7em
— Jennifer Bendery (@jbendery) September 23, 2022

President Biden dismissed McCarthy's document as "a thin series of policy goals with little or no detail," criticizing GOP plans to ban abortion nationwide, reverse the government's new authority to negotiate drug prices, and require reauthorization votes for Social Security and Medicare.

"It's notable that McCarthy alone has proposed a plan if Republicans win control of the House chamber," The Associated Press reports. "In the Senate, Republican leader Mitch McConnell has declined to put forward an agenda, preferring to simply run against Biden and Democrats in the midterm election."