Who is Patrick McHenry? What to know about the interim House speaker

WASHINGTON - After Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was ousted as speaker earlier this month, acting speaker Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., was chosen from a succession list to be the interim, or temporary, speaker.

McHenry started serving in Congress when he was just 29 years old. He’s since taken on several leadership roles and is seen as a moderate Republican compared to some of his colleagues in the House.

Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, D-Mo., who arrived in Congress at the same time as McHenry, recalled McHenry’s progression as a lawmaker in an interview with Roll Call.

“When he first arrived, he was seen as a bomb thrower and someone who was looking for a fight,” Cleaver told the outlet. “He was the Freedom Caucus before there was a Freedom Caucus. Today, I read him as a person who really would like to work with others, who would like to work with Democrats.”

Here’s a closer look at McHenry’s experience and voting record.

Who is Patrick McHenry?

McHenry is serving his 10th term in Congress and represents the 10th congressional district in North Carolina. He is a McCarthy ally and chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, a role that helped him negotiate the debt limit deal earlier this year.

He was appointed in 2015 by then House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., to serve as the Chief Deputy Whip, helping Scalise build agreement around a conservative policy agenda for the House Republican Conference.

Mark Harkins, a senior fellow at the Government Affair Institute at Georgetown University, told USA TODAY, that “McHenry has been an important asset to former Speaker McCarthy, having helped broker the deal with rebels in January to allow McCarthy to become Speaker.”

“In addition, he was one of two Republican members McCarthy tapped to negotiate the debt limit deal with administration officials earlier this year,” he said.

Where McHenry stands on issues like abortion and Ukraine aid

One of the top issues surrounding the government shutdown fight last month was whether the U.S. government should give more aid to Ukraine. McHenry has previously supported measures to fund Ukraine's military defense.

For instance, he voted in favor of the Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act of 2022 and the Ukraine Security Assistance and Oversight Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2023. He said last year that “First and foremost, the U.S. must maintain a firm, long-term commitment to cutting off Russia from global trade and financial markets.”

On abortion, McHenry applauded the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade last year and said in a statement that it was “an important step forward to protect the right to life.”

“Today’s decision also marks a return to our constitutional norm of rights and powers being reserved to the states, and a federal government of limited and enumerated powers,” he said.

He’s also voted in favor of an amendment to reduce foreign assistance to certain countries based on the number of unaccompanied noncitizens who entered the US from those areas, a veterans benefit improvement act and a Native American child protection act, according to his website.

What is McHenry's relationship with Trump?

In 2018, former President Donald Trump said that McHenry had “the greatest name in politics.” He’s also endorsed McHenry previously for Congress.

McHenry said in a statement on the day of the Jan. 6, Capitol attack, that he supported Trump in both the 2016 election and the 2020 election.

“President Trump achieved historic tax cuts, repealed the core of Obamacare and Dodd-Frank, fought unfair trade practices of China, and defended our most sacred ally Israel. I supported and worked to pass his agenda every step of the way—voting with President Trump more than any other member of North Carolina’s Congressional delegation. It was his leadership that brought us the best economy of the last 50 years.”

However, he also said he could not violate his oath of office and was one of the lawmakers who voted to certify President Joe Biden’s 2020 election win.

When asked about Trump’s 2020 election indictment, McHenry told The Charlotte Observer that, “What we don’t want in America is a two-tier system of justice, where a former president, or the son of a president, or a president is treated differently.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Patrick McHenry? What to know about the interim House speaker