New Congress live updates: What's next after Kevin McCarthy's speakership win
McCarthy finally won the speaker's gavel after historic 15 rounds of voting.
The House Republican leadership standoff ended early Saturday morning with Kevin McCarthy winning the speaker's gavel on a historic 15th vote.
It was the longest such election since 1859.
The drama stretched into a fourth day Friday with three more failed votes to decide on a speaker after 11 others over Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday -- the last one ending in a heated one-vote loss at the hands of holdout Matt Gaetz.
McCarthy had been stymied by a small group of hardliners demanding concessions to reshape how the House is run and legislation it prioritizes.
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McCarthy takes oath of office, tells members 'I never give up'
"I may not know all of you, some of you are new," McCarthy said as he wrapped up his remarks. "But I hope one thing is clear after this week: I never give up."
"I make this promise, I'll never give up on you the American people," he added.
McCarthy then took his oath of office and is now the 55th speaker of the House of Representatives.
McCarthy after receiving the gavel: 'Now the hard work begins'
"That was easy, huh?" McCarthy joked as he received the speaker's gavel from Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries. "I never thought we'd get up here."
As he listed his priorities for the 118th Congress, McCarthy said it was time for the Republican majority to be a check and provide a balance to President Joe Biden's policies.
"And now the hard work begins," he said. "What we do here today, next week, next month, next year will set the tone for everything that follows."
Jeffries hands McCarthy the speaker's gavel
At approximately 1:15 a.m. Saturday, McCarthy was handed the speaker's gavel from Democratic caucus leader Hakeem Jeffries.
But before Jeffries turned it over to McCarthy, he ran through a list of Democratic accomplishments over the past two years and gave a final nod to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
"Pelosi will go down in history as the greatest speaker of all time," Jeffries said.
Jeffries said this is a moment of "transition" for Congress, from a "year of accomplishment to a year of ambiguity."
"But we do extend our hand of partnership to you," he said.
Biden congratulates McCarthy, says he's prepared to work with GOP
The White House has put out a statement from President Joe Biden, in which he and first lady Jill Biden congratulated McCarthy.
"The American people expect their leaders to govern in a way that puts their needs above all else, and that is what we need to do now," Biden said.
"As I said after the midterms, I am prepared to work with Republicans when I can and voters made clear that they expect Republicans to be prepared to work with me as well," he continued. "Now that the leadership of the House of Representatives has been decided it is time for that process to begin."
Biden said it's "imperative" the nation continues to make economic progress, protect Social Security and Medicare benefits and defend national security.
"As the last two years show, we can do profound things for the country when we do them together," Biden said.