Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., on Wednesday during a Senate GOP luncheon pleaded with lawmakers to have faith in his ability to manage the lower chamber when Republicans take over in 2023, reports The Hill.
"It was a unifying message, he talked about how we need to work better together than we have in the past," Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, told reporters after the meeting.
The report comes as McCarthy struggles to round up the votes needed to become House speaker as a group of Republican lawmakers say they won't vote for him to lead.
The five anti-McCarthy conservatives, known on Capitol Hill as the "Never Kevin Caucus," are GOP Reps. Andy Biggs of Arizona, Matt Gaetz of Florida, Bob Good of Virginia, Matt Rosendale of Montana, and Ralph Norman of South Carolina. They are rallying behind Biggs for speaker.
"I'm not voting for him on Jan. 3," Biggs told Axios of McCarthy. Asked if there's anything McCarthy could do to change his mind, Biggs shook his head and said, "I could be dead, I guess."
McCarthy, who appeared at the luncheon ahead of a vote on the fiscal 2023 government funding package, accused the Senate of trying to "jam" the House before Christmas. Republicans in opposition have pressed Congress to put off government spending through early next year.
"He said he didn't agree with the omnibus," one GOP senator who attended the meeting said. "His basic message was: 'Don't do things because you think we can't. Give us a chance.'"
"But in this case, the die is cast," the lawmaker added.