House Republicans meet this morning to vote for the vice chair of the conference, the leadership seat Speaker Mike Johnson vacated to claim the gavel.
It’s not the highest-level leadership post, but seven candidates are in hot pursuit of the role.
Mike Collins (Ga.)
Nicole Malliotakis (N.Y.)
Beth Van Duyne (Texas)
Mark Alford (Mo.)
Blake Moore (Utah)
Brian Mast (Fla.)
Michelle Fischbach (Minn.)
On Tuesday they each made their pitch behind closed doors. But colleagues weren’t electrified, calling the event a snooze. One way they’re making things fun is ramping up campaign swag, handing out treats like cigars, Chick-fil-a, koozies and peanuts.
What is the role? It’s not glamorous but can be good for relationship building. The conference vice chair does a lot of member relations work like organizing one-minute and special order speech rosters for the floor. It’s a role where implementing the House GOP messaging can be key, but so are logistical skills.
All votes will be cast by 10 a.m.
Another thud: Late Tuesday night House leaders yanked the Transportation-HUD funding bill off the vote schedule — again. It’s the second time it’s been pulled from the schedule, indicating continued problems in getting enough votes to pass the measure.
One sticking point is close to President Joe Biden’s heart: Amtrak funding. The bill would slash it by about $1.5 billion, but swing district Republicans in the Northeast Corridor want that funding restored.
Alex Daughtry contributed to this report.