• House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was notably absent from Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) speech announcing that she will step down from leadership in the next Congress, with the California Republican telling reporters that he “had meetings” at that time.
• “I had meetings, but normally, the others would do it during votes — I wish she could have done that, I could have been there,” he told reporters shortly after the speech wrapped, adding that he didn’t watch any of it.

Tagged: Capitol Hill