U.S. Representatives Stephanie Bice, R-Oklahoma City, and Kevin Hern, R-Tulsa, issued separate statements after the early Saturday morning (January 7) election of Kevin McCarthy of California as Speaker.

In her statement, sent to CapitolBeatOK.com, Congresswoman Bice said:

“Democracy is messy. I am grateful that my House colleagues voted to elect Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House of Representatives. He is the best candidate to lead the Republican majority in the 118^th Congress.

“Oklahomans elected me to provide a check and balance on the Biden Administration and to find solutions to the problems our nation is facing. It is time to get to work.”

Congressman Hern, who received votes for Speaker in the court of the five-day marathon deliberations on the Speakership, said in a release from his office:

“Over the last four days and 15 votes, Americans have seen democracy at work – and yes, democracy can get messy sometimes.

“This is exactly how our founders intended us to function – with open debate and opportunity for new ideas. The end result of this week is a substantial change to the way the House operates, change that was desperately needed to empower all members, not just a select few.

“Congress is broken; every American knows it. But now it is incumbent on Speaker McCarthy to ensure these new reforms are firmly respected.”

Hern, a Tulsa Republican continued, “I promised my constituents that I would come to D.C. to fight to change the direction of this House. I hope we will all see a Congress that functions much differently this year.

“As chairman of the Republican Study Committee, I look forward to working with our members under the new rules regime to advance conservative policy.”