{"id":1029673,"date":"2024-02-20T19:08:12","date_gmt":"2024-02-20T19:08:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/?p=1029673"},"modified":"2024-05-20T02:54:49","modified_gmt":"2024-05-20T02:54:49","slug":"icymi-cnn-high-profile-republicans-head-for-the-exits-amid-house-gop-dysfunction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/icymi-cnn-high-profile-republicans-head-for-the-exits-amid-house-gop-dysfunction\/","title":{"rendered":"ICYMI: CNN: High-Profile Republicans Head For the Exits Amid House GOP Dysfunction"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"341\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/War-Room-Master-Image.png?w=1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1031397\" srcset=\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/War-Room-Master-Image.png 1500w, https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/War-Room-Master-Image.png?resize=300,100 300w, https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/War-Room-Master-Image.png?resize=768,256 768w, https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/War-Room-Master-Image.png?resize=1024,341 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key Point:<\/strong> \u201cAs the 118th Congress has been dominated by deep dysfunction and bitter divisions inside the GOP, a number of Republicans \u2013 particularly from the so-called governing wing \u2013 are heading for the exits. \u2026This session of Congress, lawmakers have already experienced a historic 15-ballot race for speaker, the unprecedented ouster of a speaker, a rare expulsion of a member and a number of embarrassing, failed floor votes as Republican leadership has struggled to corral its paper-thin majority.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/02\/19\/politics\/republicans-retiring-house\/index.html\"><strong>CNN<\/strong><\/a><strong>: High-profile Republicans head for the exits amid House GOP dysfunction<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By: Melanie Zanona, Annie Grayer and Haley Talbot<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>House Republicans were shocked by some of the recent high-profile retirements announced by their colleagues, which have included powerful committee chairs and rising stars inside the GOP.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>But given the miserable state of affairs inside the House right now, they also weren\u2019t exactly surprised.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>\u201cThey\u2019ve signed up to do serious things. And we\u2019re not doing serious things,\u201d<\/strong> said Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado, a conservative who is retiring after bucking his party on several key issues.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>And Rep. Carlos Gimenez of Florida, an ally of deposed former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, said this is not how he or many of his colleagues imagined life in the majority, saying, <strong>\u201cI thought that some of our members would be smarter.\u201d<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>\u201cA lot of us are frustrated with what\u2019s going on, and that\u2019s just being flat-out honest,\u201d he told CNN. \u201cIt\u2019s foolish. And it\u2019s been proven to be foolish. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.\u201d<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>As the 118th Congress has been dominated by deep dysfunction and bitter divisions inside the GOP, a number of Republicans \u2013 particularly from the so-called governing wing \u2013 are heading for the exits. <\/strong>So far, 23 GOP lawmakers have decided to not seek reelection or resigned early, including five committee chairs, though some have cited personal reasons or are seeking higher office.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Still, the caliber and timing of some of the retirements has raised alarm bells, particularly those who are giving up coveted committee gavels that some work their whole career to achieve.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>As the 118th Congress has been dominated by deep dysfunction and bitter divisions inside the GOP, a number of Republicans \u2013 particularly from the so-called governing wing \u2013 are heading for the exits. So far, 23 GOP lawmakers have decided to not seek reelection or resigned early, including five committee chairs, though some have cited personal reasons or are seeking higher office.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>And on the Energy and Commerce Committee alone \u2013 a highly sought-after assignment \u2013 there are eight Republicans who are retiring.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>\u201cThose are big losses for us,<\/strong>\u201d said Rep. Greg Pence of Indiana, who is among the members on the panel hanging up his voting card.<strong> \u201cIt is alarming.<\/strong> Especially for the institutional knowledge \u2026 So, that\u2019s a big deal.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The wave of retirements is rattling some of the Republicans who are choosing to stick around and fueling concern about a potential brain drain as more senior members decide to leave and take their wealth of institutional knowledge with them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cYou get this panic and anxiety like, \u2018OK, who\u2019s going to step up? Is this a normal thing that happens every few years, or is it actually abnormal?\u2019\u201d said Rep. August Pfluger of Texas. \u201cSo, yeah, <strong>I\u2019m very worried about it.\u201d<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cLook,<strong> it hasn\u2019t been pleasant, there\u2019s no question about that,<\/strong>\u201d veteran Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma said of the past year.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>House Republicans wonder: \u2018Is it worth it?\u2019<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>This session of Congress, lawmakers have already experienced a historic 15-ballot race for speaker, the unprecedented ouster of a speaker, a rare expulsion of a member and a number of embarrassing, failed floor votes as Republican leadership has struggled to corral its paper-thin majority \u2013 all which has all contributed to members\u2019 fatigue.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cIf you\u2019re chairman of a committee, and you\u2019re trying to do hard legislative work, there\u2019s frustration there. It\u2019s just a number of things piling up,\u201d said House Science Committee Chair Frank Lucas, reflecting on the retirements.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>At times,<strong> the GOP infighting has been so nasty it has almost led to physical blows. <\/strong>And lately, Republicans can\u2019t even seem to pass basic procedural votes, known as a rule.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>\u201cIt is very dysfunctional right now,\u201d<\/strong> said Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, co-chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus. \u201cYou have tight margins and divided chambers, and you have a Rules Committee that\u2019s been very dysfunctional.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Added Rep. Steve Womack of Arkansas: <strong>\u201cWe are fractured. And there is a lot of angst. <\/strong>And so yeah, we are I think chipping away at some of the more institutional people here.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Underneath the chaos, <strong>there is also growing anxiety about the chances of the House GOP holding on to the majority in November, <\/strong>which was further compounded by Republicans losing a special election in New York \u2013 a key battleground \u2013 last week.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cWe have a three-vote majority. And you know, some of our majority-maker seats are tougher with (former President Donald) Trump, and then there\u2019s other places where it works,\u201d said Rep. Kelly Armstrong of North Dakota, who is leaving Congress to run for governor. \u201cIt\u2019s gonna be a nail-biter, and we should all be ready for it.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Meanwhile, <strong>there is also some private wariness among Republicans as Trump marches his way toward the GOP presidential nomination and they face pressure to fall in line.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>\u201cSome of them say, \u2018I don\u2019t want to have to endorse him, I don\u2019t want to have to serve under him,\u2019\u201d<\/strong> one GOP lawmaker told CNN when asked about the retirements. \u201cThat\u2019s something else that is weighing in a lot of the private conversations I\u2019m having.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u201cThere\u2019s absolutely concern over a loss of knowledge, a loss of seniority, in some cases, a loss of civility,\u201d<\/strong> said Rep. Chuck Fleischmann of Tennessee. \u201cWe don\u2019t know whom we\u2019re going to get and what the new Congress is going to look like.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Point: \u201cAs the 118th Congress has been dominated by deep dysfunction and bitter divisions inside the GOP, a number of Republicans \u2013 particularly from the so-called governing wing \u2013 are heading for the exits. \u2026This session of Congress, lawmakers have already experienced a historic 15-ballot race for speaker, the unprecedented ouster of a speaker, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":263,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1029673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.0 - 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