Even as he ramps up the rhetoric against Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump, U.S. Rep. Carlos Curbelo, R-Fla., moved into the U.S. House leadership on Wednesday as U.S. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., named him to the Republican whip team.
“It is an honor to have my colleague Rep. Carlos Curbelo join the whip team,” Scalise said on Wednesday. “I look forward to working with him on behalf of the Republican Conference to advance the conservative values and principles that unite us and move America forward. Together we will work to solve the challenges facing our nation.”
Curbelo said his new position would help his South Florida district.
“Serving on the whip team affords me a greater role in the policymaking process and will make me a more effective advocate for South Florida in Congress," Curbelo said on Wednesday. “I am grateful to Majority Whip Steve Scalise for his trust and for giving me this opportunity. Together we will continue working to advance solutions to improve the lives of all Americans -– especially those struggling to get by.”
The Republican leadership labels the whip team as a “gateway for communication between leadership and rank-and-file members.” U.S. Rep. Dennis Ross, R-Fla., also is on the team as senior deputy majority whip.
But Curbelo is also taking a larger profile by going after Trump's comments on immigration. Curbelo, a supporter of former Gov. Jeb Bush, R-Fla., has grown increasingly loud in his criticisms of Trump, even suggesting that the businessman might be a plant from the Democrats.
Curbelo also serves as the vice chairman of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee. Since taking his seat in January, Curbelo has been given a few chances to take the national stage, offering the Republican response to President Barack Obama's "State of the Union" in Spanish earlier this year.
Both of Curbelo’s predecessors -- former U.S. Rep. Joe Garcia, D-Fla. and U.S. Rep. David Rivera, R-Fla. -- served only one term each in Congress before being turned out. Representing a swing district, Curbelo is expected to be a major target for Democrats come 2016. Former Miami-Dade Democratic Party Chairwoman Annette Taddeo is already running against him and both the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) are already getting involved in the race.
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