“House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) announced a bid to become the next House majority leader on Wednesday as the GOP appears likely to win a narrow majority in the lower chamber,” The Hill reports.
“The American people deserve a House of Representatives that can move the agenda that was promised to them on the campaign trail,” Scalise said in a letter addressed to his GOP colleagues in the House.
The letter reads:
I am so proud to be a part of this House Republican team. Two years ago, we unified around a single goal – taking back the House. Through all the ups and downs, challenges, and adversity, we never lost sight of our target. We stayed relentlessly focused on the issues that matter most to the American people and they responded by delivering us a House Republican Majority.
Now it’s time for us to focus on delivering for the American people who have trusted us with such a great task. With America facing challenges both at home and abroad – now more than ever – we need to be united as we fight to deliver a better future for our country.
As you know, we are prepared for this moment. Through your engagement on the various task forces, we were able to develop the bold, conservative agenda laid out in the Commitment to America. Now it is time to turn that Commitment into action.
With this bold, conservative agenda in mind, I am asking for your support to be the next House Majority Leader. The American people deserve a House of Representatives that can move the agenda that was promised to them on the campaign trail. As your Majority Leader, I will work relentlessly to usher our vision through the House and show the country how conservative ideas can solve the problems that families are facing.
You know my leadership style that I’ve displayed as your Whip for the last eight years. I have a proven track record of bringing together the diverse array of viewpoints within our conference to build consensus where others thought it impossible. Through conservative victories like the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, 21st Century Cures Act, CRAs to reverse radical Obama-era regulations, and trade deals like USMCA, we came together to enact serious conservative victories. More recently, the Whip Team was successful in keeping our conference completely unified against the so-called “American Rescue Plan” and “Inflation Reduction Act.” As your Majority Leader, I will bring the same level of focus and work ethic to the job so we can all deliver for the American people.
The last four years of Democrat control have caused serious damage to the House of Representatives and the country. Their top-down approach to legislating has left members and those who we represent out of the legislative process. As we embark on our historic next chapter in the 118th Congress, I want to empower committees and individual members to be able to fully participate in a Congress that works for the people who elected us. We have an extremely talented conference, and we will need all of our talents and abilities to get our country back on the right track.
To accomplish the GOP’s goals, Scalise stated they need to:
- Turn our bold, conservative agenda into legislative action
- Hold the Biden Administration accountable
- Cultivate a legislative process built on regular order and member input
The Hill reported:
Republicans appear to be in a position to take a majority in the House following the midterm elections. But their margin will likely be much narrower than originally expected as Democratic candidates defied expectations from polls in many races across the country.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) expressed confidence that the GOP would take control of the House in comments he made at a midterm election night party early Wednesday morning. But the lack of a red wave in the midterms put a damper on the night.
A smaller House Republican conference may make McCarthy’s path to become Speaker narrower, but Scalise said in an interview with Fox News on Wednesday that he would not challenge McCarthy and would support him for Speaker.
He emphasized in the interview that the “bottom line” is there will be a Republican House majority.
He said in his letter to GOP colleagues that he wants to empower committees and individual members to “fully participate” in Congress.
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