Congressman Pete Sessions discusses his bid to become the next Speaker of the U.S. House

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) -Texas Congressman Pete Sessions declared his bid to become the next Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday.

The deadline for lawmakers to announce their candidacy for Speaker of the House was this past Sunday. Currently, nine candidates, including Congressman Pete Sessions, have thrown their hats into the ring, all vying for the seat previously held by Kevin McCarthy.

The absence of a Speaker has brought legislative activities in the House to a halt, a concern amplified as the November 17th deadline approaches, when a potential government shutdown looms if appropriations bills are not passed by the House and Senate.

With a political career spanning over two decades, Sessions, a seasoned politician with a strong Republican background, believes that his experience can unite the Republican Conference and demonstrate balanced, action-oriented leadership to the American people.

On Monday, Republicans are scheduled to meet and discuss prospective candidates for the next Speaker of the House.

“Our Republican Conference that is the majority in Washington DC and the United States House of Representatives has been unable to effectively turn the corner between the difference of fight and fix,” said Sessions.

“Our leadership under Kevin McCarthy found itself in a large fight with our Republican party, those who are members of Congress, and they disagreed with some of the results that he was doing. So, there was a vote to remove the speaker. As a result of that, there have been two other people who went through the process and tried to garner the number of votes that would be required, not just in conference, but on the floor. They’ve been able to do that. And so, for two weeks, we’ve been struggling to find the right equation,” Sessions added.

Having served in Congress for more than two decades and represented the Brazos Valley for many years, Sessions believes he possesses the qualities necessary to lead the House as Speaker. According to Sessions, since record-keeping began in 1973, no member of the Texas delegation in the U.S. House has passed more legislation off the House floor than Congressman Sessions.

Sessions says he aspires to be a unifying conservative leader capable of bringing together the Conference. His congressional journey is marked by substantial contributions to the Republican Party, both at the state level and nationally. Notably, he led the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) from 2009 to 2012, overseeing a 63-seat victory in 2010 that reclaimed the House majority. From 2013 to 2019, Congressman Sessions chaired the House Committee on Rules, where he revitalized and advanced the Republican agenda in the House of Representatives.

“I believe that my background and work, not only as chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee where I led our team to win 63 net seats, but also my work inside as chairman of the House Rules Committee, was done to focus our teams, both of these examples towards success and working together,” Sessions added.

However, securing the 217 votes required to assume the Speaker’s position won’t be a straightforward task. Sessions acknowledges that this endeavor entails more than a unified agenda; it will involve producing and passing legislation that betters the lives of all Americans. As he embarks on this journey, Congressman Sessions mentioned that he has already started reaching out to fellow members and making his case.

”This is a competitive process so I’m going to have to go sell not only my ideas but myself as an answer to these problems that we have,” said Sessions.

Sessions expressed, “Our country is going through very difficult economic times. We have a loss of rule of law not only at our border but in our streets all across this country. Economically people are struggling and our future is not being addressed. They want a speaker that knows what time it is and that we’ve got to get our work done.”

Finally, Sessions underlined the importance of making a positive impact on his community, the state of Texas, and the United States. Drawing on his background as an Eagle Scout, he believes in the principle of leaving things better than he found them.

“As an Eagle Scout, I’ve always believed it’s better to leave your campsite better than the way you found it. Right now I think that’s an open question in our country. What is our future going to look like and so it’s a large job to tackle. I think we can do it together.”

The statement announcing Congressman Pete Sessions’s candidacy to be Speaker of the House of Representatives is below.