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Boehner 'Supports' Punishing Rep. Mark Meadows for Voting Against Party
Wednesday, June 24, 2015 11:56 AM
By: Courtney Coren
House Speaker John Boehner says that he "supports" stripping a subcommittee chairmanship from North Carolina Rep. Mark Meadows for voting against the party.
Boehner told House Republicans of his support for the move during a closed door meeting, Politico is reporting.
The proposal was made by House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz after Meadows voted against a procedural motion on the House floor.
"I made a tough decision that I believe is in the best interest of the committee," Chaffetz said in a statement. "I think highly of Representative Meadows but a change needed to be made based on multiple factors."
According to Politico, the speaker volunteered his opinion, which showed he doesn't have any hesitation to punish those who dissent from party leadership.
Meadows said in a statement that "no one should be punished for voting their conscience and representing their constituents," adding that he "didn't run for Congress to be a yes vote for House Republican leadership."
The move to remove Meadows from the subcommittee has led to protests from conservatives in the party.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz cited it as the reason he chose not to support the fast-track trade bill on Tuesday.
The conservative group Heritage Action also slammed the move.
"Instead of working with conservatives, the Republican party leadership worked with Nancy Pelosi and then punished conservatives for not going along," said Michael Needham, Heritage Action CEO.
