Joe Biden hosts Kevin McCarthy and other congressional leaders to discuss areas of 'mutual agreement' immediately after House GOP tosses Liz Cheney over her refusal to back Trump's 'stolen' election claim
Kevin McCarthy is heading to the White House for a Big Four meeting on Wednesday with the president on the heels of dethroning Liz Cheney from her Republican leadership post for refusing to back claims Joe Biden's election win was illegitimate.
The meeting is the first time Biden is sitting down with the top four congressional leaders since taking office.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy are joining Biden to 'discuss policy areas of mutual agreement,' according to the White House.
The president is seeking to garner bipartisan support for his massive infrastructure proposals, which includes nearly $4 trillion in new spending on real and so-called 'human infrastructure'.
Biden has also asked Congress to send him a deal on police reform.
President Joe Biden will host House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (right), and the other three top congressional leaders, to 'discuss policy areas of mutual agreement'
The meeting comes immediately on the heels of McCarthy leading the vote to oust Rep. Liz Cheney as GOP Conference chair after she wouldn't back Donald Trump's election fraud claims
This is the first time the Big Four have gone to the White House to sit down with the president since the disastrous meeting with Donald Trump in October 2019. That meeting quickly devolved into a tense back-and-forth between Pelosi and Trump resulting in an infamous photo with the Speaker angrily pointing her finger at the then-president.
Biden regularly speaks with Pelosi and Schumer – members of his own party – but has not yet met with GOP leadership.
While McConnell and Biden's seemingly cordial relationship spans decades in Congress, McCarthy's rapport with the president is more of a mystery.
The minority leader arrives at the White House just after leading the vote to oust Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney from her GOP Conference chair post for refusing to fall in line with the party backing Donald Trump's claims the election was stolen and 'rigged' against him.
Cheney was one of the 10 Republican House members who voted to impeach Trump after the January 6 Capitol attack.
In a quick voice vote Wednesday morning, scheduled and spearheaded by McCarthy, Cheney was booted from her No. 3 position among House Republicans.
She says her new mission is to make sure Trump 'never again is anywhere near the Oval Office.'
McCarthy scheduled the vote Wednesday to boot Cheney from her No. 3 spot in House leadership
Biden is aware his best chances of clinching a deal in Congress is through rank-and-file members, and not in party leadership, which could be why he has prioritized meetings with non-leadership members since taking office.
The White House legislative affairs team, according to NPR, has conducted more than 500 phone calls or meetings with lawmakers and Hill staffers regarding Biden's job plans.
This is the first time Biden is inviting McConnell and McCarthy to the White House.
The president's massive American Jobs Plan and American Families Plan equates to nearly $4 trillion in new spending, and will be mostly funded through individual and corporate tax hikes.
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