It’s on: Gavin Newsom, Republican lawmakers in D.C. launch a verbal slugfest
The war is on, Gov. Gavin Newsom vs. Rep. Kevin Kiley and the House Republicans, and it’s ugly.
“They can be a roadblock in terms of progress along the lines we’ve experienced in the last two years,” Newsom said Tuesday of Republicans in Washington.
“I’m also not naive around the obsessiveness of the Republican leaders and leadership around all things California,” he added.
Hours later, Kiley, R-Rocklin, on his fourth day in office, had his say, tweeting and writing on his blog vowing to make Newsom’s life difficult.
“I will continue to do everything I can to expose Newsom’s failures, using all the new tools at my disposal to hold him accountable. Our movement for sanity in California will continue to grow,” Kiley wrote.
Tyler Tate, his press secretary, did not respond to a request for elaboration.
What this verbal slugfest portends is a war of words likely to go on and on. But it’s probably not going to have a huge effect on how Congress treats California.
“Newsom’s remarks probably won’t make much difference. First, McCarthy has less power than other recent speakers. Second, there are a dozen Republicans from California, and they will work for local interests regardless of what the governor says about the GOP,” said John Pitney, professor of American Politics at Claremont McKenna College in California.
Republicans in charge
Republicans now control the House for the first time in four years, but Democrats still rule the Senate.
And in the House, the state will have some important champions.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and his family have deep roots in Bakersfield. The chairman of the subcommittee that makes spending decisions on defense is expected to be Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona.
Rep. David Valadao, R-Tulare, is likely to be a member of the House Appropriations Committee, where many spending decisions are made. Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Elk Grove, is in line to head the subcommittee that writes immigration bills.
Newsom and McCarthy have had a cordial relationship, and McCarthy is known for helping his district and surrounding areas. Veteran Republicans insist California won’t suffer because of all the rhetoric.
“We’ve been good to California, especially on water,” said Calvert.
“California inherently does well when you have people like Chairman Calvert, the speaker and me. I don’t see a problem there,” said Rep. Darrell Issa, R-San Marcos.
He cited the federal response to wildfires as an example. Remember, Issa said, while only 12 of the 52 California House members are Republicans, “the dozen of us control the majority of the land. And fires occur based on how much land, not how many people.
“Trust me,” Issa said, “I’m very concerned about fires.”
Is Sacramento worried?
In Sacramento, Assemblyman Vince Fong, R-Central Valley, McCarthy’s former district director and vice chair of the Budget Committee, says he’s known the speaker for 20 years, and that “Kevin’s priorities are California’s priorities.”
Fong and McCarthy have worked together on efforts to invest in water and energy infrastructure in the Central Valley, which produces about 25% of the nation’s food sources.
“I will be working very closely with Speaker McCarthy to ensure that resources and investments are made in putting California on a better path and investing in the things that will make California more prosperous in the future,” Fong said.
He was “taken aback” by Newsom’s assertion that a McCarthy-led House will “have little traction” for California.
Fong joins a chorus of California Republicans unimpressed with Newsom’s budget proposal.
Assemblyman Josh Hoover, R-Folsom, echoed Fong’s concerns about water storage, especially in light of recent storms in northern California that have left many counties flooded and without power.
“I appreciate Governor Newsom’s proposed investments in flood protection and levee safety … However I am disappointed that his budget does not make progress toward increasing water storage infrastructure that our state desperately needs to avoid rationing and prepare for future droughts,” Hoover said in a statement after Newsom’s budget proposal news conference on Tuesday.
Democrats’ frustration
House Democrats have a very different notion of what’s to come.
Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, called the Republican takeover “devastating” for California, citing some Republican talk about trying to pare Social Security and Medicare.
Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-San Jose, cited the same issue. The Republican Study Group, the policy arm of House conservatives, last year proposed several changes in how Social Security operates in order to stabilize its finances.
Social Security currently is expected to have depleted its trust funds by 2034, which would mean an estimated 20% cut in benefits under current law..
“When you take a look at the number of Californians dependent on Social Security and Medicare, it’s a huge economic factor,” Lofgren said.
She dismissed the influence of the Democratic-bashers. Remember, she said, “They had a lot of fun trying to paint Nancy Pelosi as out of touch,” Lofgren said, yet Pelosi served eight years as speaker and was never seriously challenged within her own party for the job.
The thing to remember despite all the tough talk is that ultimately most politics is eventually local. And often personal.
“Newsom bashing McCarthy and the House GOP makes him (the governor) more popular with Californians and with most Democrats across the country,” said Kamy Akhavan, executive director of the University of South California Dornsife Center for the Political Future
This story was originally published January 11, 2023 at 9:25 AM with the headline "It’s on: Gavin Newsom, Republican lawmakers in D.C. launch a verbal slugfest."
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