Kevin McCarthy talks House speaker bid, Planned Parenthood
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy is making a generational pitch in his bid to be House speaker.
McCarthy, who officially tossed his hat into the ring to replace John Boehner Monday pledged to members in a letter Monday that he'd be the kind of leader who "listens to members and respects the legislative process entrusted to committees."
Asked on "CBS This Morning" whether that meant outgoing speaker, Boehner, wasn't listening, McCarthy suggested that the culture had simply changed. He said, "This is going to be a generational change. I'm concerned about what I see in Washington - people are very concerned about power and institutions, more so than changing the lives of everyday Americans."
With the deadline for government funding just around the corner, Congress is scrambling to avert another shutdown over Planned Parenthood. While the Senate voted 77 to 19 on a bill to continue government funding through mid-December, some conservative Republicans still prefer a shutdown to block federal funding for Planned Parenthood.
McCarthy reiterated his own belief that tax dollars should not be going to Planned Parenthood. He also emphasized the importance of investigating the women's health organization, which found itself on the political hot seat after a group opposing abortion produced and published 10 videos with undercover footage of Planned Parenthood officials discussing how the use of fetal parts for medical research.
"Anyone who has watched those videos know there's a concern and a problem, and we've got to get to the bottom of that," he said. "So I think the best thing going forward is if we are able to move, but also get to the problem of what we're finding in these videos."
So far, McCarthy has just one challenger, Rep. Daniel Webster, R-Florida. At least two members, Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Louisiana, and Rep. Tom Price, R-Georgia, are running to replace McCarthy as House Majority Leader, but McCarthy refrained from commenting on his successors.