C-SPAN asks House Speaker McCarthy to make its broader floor coverage permanent

C-SPAN got permission to shoot the House floor during raucous votes to elect Rep. Kevin McCarthy as speaker, drawing rave reviews as it captured huddles among rival lawmakers and factions plotting their next moves.

Now C-SPAN, the nonprofit that provides round-the-clock footage of Congress, is asking Mr. McCarthy to make the arrangement permanent, hoping it can relay more Oscar-worthy moments to the American public instead of reverting to a fixed-camera view of the dais and lawmakers who speak at the microphones.

C-SPAN co-CEO Susan Swain said public reaction to its recent coverage and “transparency” themes in Mr. McCarthy’s rules package offered compelling arguments for broader coverage of the floor.

“We request to install a few additional cameras in the House chamber. When mixed with the existing House production, shots from our cameras would allow us to create a second, journalistic product, just as we did last week,” Ms. Swain said in a Tuesday letter to the new speaker.

She said her network would continue to use audio from the House Recording Studio.

Rep. Matt Gaetz, Florida Republican and a key holdout during the dramatic vote for Mr. McCarthy’s speakership, supports expanded coverage and drafted an amendment that would let at least four C-SPAN cameras broadcast floor proceedings.

Ms. Swain acknowledged that little has changed in the strict rules governing House coverage for 43 years. C-SPAN frequently asks for looser rules every two years, only to be denied.

But the public got a firsthand glimpse at the potential product in recent days.

Floor coverage during the speaker’s vote resulted in noteworthy moments — and plenty of requests for lip readers.

Rep. Paul Gosar, a far-right Arizona Republican, sat and spoke with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a progressive New York Democrat, about whether Democrats planned to leave the chamber to lower the threshold so Mr. McCarthy could win the speaker’s vote.

Rep. George Santos, a New York Republican accused of fabricating parts of his resume, appeared to sit alone at the start of the speaker’s vote, and angry exchanges between Mr. McCarthy’s supporters and detractors made for must-watch TV.

“I’ve received a lot of feedback from constituents about how interesting it was and that you were able to see in real time how our government is functioning, what alliances are being created, what discussions are being had, what animated moments drive the action,” Mr. Gaetz told Fox News Digital.

Ms. Swain said if GOP leadership is unwilling to change the rules, she would at least like permission for C-SPAN and other independent journalists to provide expanded coverage of major legislative sessions, akin to enhanced coverage of key congressional hearings.

“We all share an important goal — informing and involving the American public with what transpires in the People’s House,” Ms. Swain wrote.