This has been a historic and challenging week to say the least. Governing is a complex and messy process, and it requires Members of Congress to look for a way to get to an agreement. It’s no different than when you are trying to reach a deal in business or buy/sell a home; each has to want to get to an agreement for it to happen.
House Republicans have a conservative policy agenda that has been set for some time. The roadmap is simple: You produce the most conservative legislation possible that has the broadest support among the Republican Conference and you stick together and vote for it. That is how you rack up wins and get our country back on track — but everyone has to want to get to yes.
Members of Congress have a responsibility to uphold our Constitution, to answer to our constituents, and to strengthen our country — all while navigating the complexities of Capitol Hill — which is not easy. It’s especially hard when you have individual members who are more interested in promoting themselves than anything else.
Electing a Speaker of the House is not just about one individual. It’s about protecting the institution, managing talent to achieve the best solutions, and allowing members to legislate and make their voices heard for the benefit of the country. Critically important is the institution itself. Our founders devised a system of government that protects the minority voice to ensure that it is heard, but the majority rules. This is particularly true for the House of Representatives. (The U.S. Senate is much different in its makeup and rules.)
To allow a very small minority to dictate to the majority in the Republican Conference would have imperiled the institution forever more — diminishing the majority voice of the people. After the Republican Conference voted this past November to nominate Kevin McCarthy as our designee for Speaker with 85 percent of the vote, for the sake of the institution there was no choice but to vote for him to be Speaker. For clarity, let me put it this way: What if the shoe were on the other foot with those holding seats in mostly Democrat districts holding out? Rules matter. The majority matters. Institutions matter. Precedent matters. (A previous version of this newsletter used an incorrect but similar word.)
A great leader always provides his members an exit strategy, and that is what Speaker McCarthy did. Few could have pulled it off, but his perseverance, resolve and the help of many other members working together made it happen.
Now that the House speakership is resolved, the hard work of governing begins. Whatever the House produces will be a starting negotiation point with the Democrat majority in the Senate and the Biden Administration. Because of this divide in power, we will be able to stop bad policies from being put in place that require an act of Congress, and we will be able to improve narrow provisions of law and bring more accountability with the power of the purse and the power of the subpoena. Major trajectory changes in law will have to wait for a conservative Senate and White House — which is why each election matters.
It’s an honor to serve the great citizens of North Carolina’s 7th Congressional District. As we begin the 118th Congress in a new Republican Majority, I'm grateful for the confidence you have placed in me, and I will continue listening to you and working for you.
