Vance preaches unity as tensions boil at House GOP retreat over MIA lawmakers
Rep. Chip Roy is criticizing the GOP retreat as a waste of time and money
By Elizabeth Elkind , Aishah Hasnie Fox News
Published January 28, 2025 4:52pm EST
DORAL, Fla. — Vice President JD Vance urged Republicans to stick together during a closed-door meeting at the House GOP annual issues conference on Tuesday, as tensions simmer over some lawmakers' decisions to skip the multi-day event.
House Republicans are at President Donald Trump's golf course and resort in Doral, Florida, for three days of discussions on how to execute his legislative agenda.
Vance addressed the gathering on Tuesday in a speech that acknowledged the differences of opinion across the Republican conference, while imploring them to find a way to overcome those divisions and "be good" to one another, two lawmakers in the room told Fox News Digital.
Those fractures flared up a short while later, however, when two lawmakers stood up to criticize colleagues who were not attending the event during the question and answer portion of Vance's appearance, two other sources said.
It comes after Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, posted on X that he was not attending the retreat, arguing it was a waste of time.
"It is being reported I am not at the so-called Republican retreat in Florida. I am not," Roy wrote. "I am in Texas, with my family & meeting with constituents, rather than spending $2K to hear more excuses for increasing deficits & not being in DC to deliver Trump's border security [funding] ASAP."
Roy told Fox News that he could not speak for fellow members of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus who were missing from the retreat, adding, "We all have things that we've got to deal with."
"If you're asking me to go spend money to go sit in a resort rather than doing our damn job… no, I'm not going to do that," he said.
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/tensions-boil-house-gop-retreat-vance-preaches-unity-closed-door-speech-trump-hotel
