Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) delivered a farewell speech on the House floor Thursday as he wrapped up his final legislative day after announcing his surprise resignation in early December. His resignation becomes official at the end of the year and will mark the end of a 17-year stint in Congress, which included a ninth-month period as Speaker of the House.
Although his tenure has been tumultuous at times, McCarthy insists he would not do anything differently if he had to do it over again. He said:
One thing I think we must quite understand, and if there’s advice I can give: Do not be fearful if you believe your philosophy brings people more freedom. Do not be fearful that you could lose your job over it. I knew the day we decided to make sure to choose to pay our troops while war was breaking out, instead of shutting down, was the right decision. I also knew a few…
