Three Booted From GOP Whip Team as Leaders Crack Down

[Formerly Once-Ler]

http://www.nationaljournal.com/congress/three-booted-from-gop-whip-team-as-leaders-crack-down-20150616

House Republican leaders are cracking down on rebellious members after a near-disaster on a trade vote last week, but another imperiled rule coming to the House floor Tuesday is making it difficult to punish members leaders need to pass the measure.

Reps. Cynthia Lummis, Steve Pearce and Trent Franks have been removed from the whip team after they sided with GOP rebels to vote against a rule governing debate on a trade bill, according to sources close to the team.

Lummis, a deputy whip and a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, was perhaps the whip team's highest-ranking bridge to the conference's most intransigent members. Pearce and Franks are also very close to House conservatives.

But House Majority Whip Steve Scalise had said earlier in the year that he would not tolerate members voting against rules, and has already removed two other members close to the conservative movement.

The behind-the-scenes GOP infighting is playing out as Republicans place the blame on the failure to pass Trade Adjustment Assistance on President Barack Obama and House Democrats who abandoned him. But it makes clear that Republicans have problems of their own, which are continuing to hamper their ability to legislate.

Those close to Speaker John Boehner have long pushed their leaders to drop the hammer on members who do not act as team players, a fight that has gone back to the beginning of the year when two dozen members voted against Boehner for speaker.

But Boehner has by-and-large shied away from public displays of disunity, choosing instead to exact subtle retribution behind the scenes. Those members say they have found it harder to get their bills considered and have received less fundraising help from the party infrastructure.

Nevertheless, Boehner publicly noted frustration Tuesday morning, telling reporters, "I'm not very happy about it. We're supposed to be a team and we should act like it." In a private meeting preceding the press conference, Boehner gave his conference a "stern talking-to" about getting with the team, because the alternative is putting Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi in charge, according to a member in the room.

But conservative members are still fuming that Boehner negotiated with Pelosi rather than acquiescing to demands from the Freedom Caucus, who wanted some assurances on the trade bill process and others relating to an upcoming vote on the Export-Import Bank in exchange for their votes on Trade Promotion Authority.

"I think many of the people who voted against the rule felt it was inappropriate for our leadership to continue to negotiate with Democrats without negotiating with conservatives in the House," Rep. Raul Labrador said. "That's the failure of this leadership. … They're not even aware of what's happening around them and they need to be very careful about that."

Members have pushed committee chairmen to remove the disloyal members from subcommittee chairmanships as well. On Tuesday, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy met with his chairmen and the topic came up, but as of yet, no members have been stripped of their gavels.

Several of the members who voted against the rule on Friday hold gavels, including Reps. Jim Bridenstine, Louie Gohmert, Mark Meadows and John Fleming.

But leadership is facing another tough trade vote Tuesday—on a rule that would give the House until July 30 to vote on Trade Adjustment Assistance—and they may not want to anger too many members. Several conservatives said privately they are considering voting against the rule, which governs debate on the Intelligence Authorization, but which late last night was amended to include a punt on trade.

Boehner screwed up again.  He trusted conservatives on his team to whip votes instead of sabotaging GOP plans.

[Fishrrman]

I'm sure happy that those "plans" got sabotaged!

[Paladin]

Those close to Speaker John Boehner have long pushed their leaders to drop the hammer on members who do not act as team players

"Team players" is just another way of saying they are to follow Boehner's wishes slavishly even if the public disapproves of some measure, and voting for it would violate some Republican campaign promise.

[alicewonders]

"Team players" is just another way of saying they are to follow Boehner's wishes slavishly even if the public disapproves of some measure, and voting for it would violate some Republican campaign promise.

Yeah, why even have a team if everyone has to vote with the leader?  Why have representatives at all?