Speaker Kevin McCarthy: 10 Photos From July

July honored traditions old and new and marked seven months of the 118th Congress. As summer—and Congress heats up, Speaker Kevin McCarthy is steadfast on delivering results for the American people. Never give up. For more behind-the-scenes photos, be sure to follow the stories from @SpeakerMcCarthy on Instagram.

1. Past to Present—In Trappe, Pennsylvania, Speaker McCarthy visits the historic home of Frederick Muhlenberg, our nation’s very first Speaker. Like Speaker McCarthy, Muhlenberg also did not win all of his races on the first ballot. Today, Muhlenberg is known for presiding over the First Congress, being the first signator of the Bill of Rights and has been mythologized as the reason German was never adopted as an official language in the United States.

2. Batter Up—At the Congressional Women’s Softball Game, Speaker McCarthy and a bipartisan group of his Congressional colleagues team up in the spirit of sportsmanship and raising funds for and awareness of the challenges of breast cancer. Play ball!

3. The People’s Speaker—Speaker McCarthy surprises visitors to our nation’s Capitol with the first of three pop-up photo lines this month, making it crystal clear that our Capitol is open and belongs to the American people. The Speaker encounters a microcosm of America—including a visit from a fellow Speaker.

4. Thank You—Fact: Speaker McCarthy was rejected for an internship for the seat he now represents in Congress. At Intern Appreciation Night, the Speaker pays tribute to the young men and women who to learn about and participate in the legislative process.

5. The Governator—Speaker McCarthy starts a day strong with a bike ride down our National Mall with Arnold Schwarzenegger, proving that while he may not be able to out-bench the former California Governor, he can give him a run for his money on a bike.

6. A Nation That’s Safe—House Republicans mark the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act, celebrating the biggest pay raise for our troops in decades and eliminating woke, progressive politics from our military so they can focus on defense of our nation.

7. Friend & Ally—Speaker McCarthy welcomes Israeli President Isaac Herzog to the Capitol, marking the second address to Congress by an Israeli President—the first being his very own father, Chaim Herzog. Together, the Speaker and the President reaffirm the United States-Israel friendship and underscore the imperative of stamping out antisemitism anywhere it rises.

8. Movie Night—In the spirit of bringing Congress closer together, Speaker McCarthy establishes a re-occurring movie night in our Capitol, first screening Lincoln, followed by Sound of Freedom. Sound of Freedom star Jim Caviezel and Tim Ballard join the Speaker for a fireside chat to discuss their experiences and stress the seriousness of combatting the very real scourge of modern human slavery.

9. Ciao—Speaker McCarthy reunites with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni offering statements reaffirming America’s friendship and alliance with Italy. A descendant of Italian immigrants, Speaker McCarthy shares his great-grandfather’s immigration documents and our Capitol’s Italian heritage with the Prime Minister.

10. Commitments Kept—To conclude seven months of working on the people’s business, Speaker McCarthy and his Republican colleagues underscore the many achievements of the 118th Congress:

Voting to defund the 87,000 IRS agents that Democrats deployed to spy on the bank accounts of middle-class Americans
Abolishing the Democrat-driven policy of proxy voting where Members of Congress were paid to not show up for work
Eliminating the COVID vaccine mandate for our men and women in uniform
Creating a bipartisan select committee on China to blunt the influence of the Chinese Communist Party worldwide
Protecting the lives of the unborn and their mothers
Overturning woke, soft-on-crime laws to keep our streets safe
Establishing two select subcommittees to stop the weaponization of the federal government and to finally get answers on COVID’s origins and the federal government’s gain of function research that contributed to the pandemic
Restoring transparency in the House. For the first time in seven years all Members—Republican and Democrat alike—participate in an open-amendment process so that the best ideas win
Restoring transparency in the House. For the first time in seven years all Members—Republican and Democrat alike—participate in an open-amendment process so that the best ideas win
Removing certain Members from committees of which they are not fit to serve
Securing a historic debt ceiling agreement that represents the largest single deficit reduction in history
Passing permitting reform for the first time in 40 years so we can build more in America
Fully funding our military and giving our service members their biggest pay raise in decades
Holding our government accountable to ensure that no public official is above the law