U.S. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, considered a measure of revenge against the congressmen who voted against his bid to keep the gavel, impacting the Florida delegation which was the heart of the opposition.
After enough members of the Republican caucus voted to keep Boehner in charge, the congressman from Ohio vowed to find common ground on policy.
Well begin our work on this common ground, taking up measures to develop more North American energy; restore the hours of middle-class workers; and help small businesses hire more of our veterans, Boehner said on Tuesday after being returned as speaker. Then well invite the president to support and sign these bipartisan initiatives into law.This will be a good start and more. It will be a sign the logjam is breaking. And it will be a foundation on which to address the bigger challenges in the pursuit of freedom and security.
No, this work wont be tidy. The battle of ideas never ends, and never should, Boehner added. As speaker, all I ask and, frankly, expect is that we disagree without being disagreeable.
But Boehner quickly put two of the 25 congressmen who voted against him on notice, removing two Republicans from Florida -- Rich Nugent and Dan Webster -- from the powerful Rules Committee. Largely considered an arm of House leadership, the Rules Committee determines which bills make it through the House.
Nugent and Webster were two of five congressmen from Florida who did not vote to keep Boehner as speaker. Webster garnered 12 votes against Boehner while another Republican from the Sunshine State -- U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho -- took two votes.
For his part, Webster sounded a conciliatory note after the coup against Boehner failed.
This afternoon, several members of the Republican conference voted for me to be speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. I am humbled by their confidence in me as a leader who would articulate and execute a principled agenda at such a critical time for our party, system of government and nation, Webster said on Tuesday. To be sure, my candidacy and vote was not a vote against personalities, policies or even John Boehner. It was a vote for initiating a process that I know can produce sound public policy for the people who sent us to Washington on their behalf.
As I have shared with the leadership team, I will continue to advocate for a more open, member-driven and productive process, one that places principle above power. The process by which we have come to legislate as elected representatives of the people has become flawed, and a flawed process will always produce a flawed product," Webster added. I offer my sincerest congratulations to Speaker Boehner on his re-election as speaker of the House. He is a personal friend who I have come to know and admire during my tenure in the House and I pledge to work alongside him. With leadership elections behind us, and a willing partner in the Senate, our conference is united in reforming the way Washington works, opening up our government and advancing pro-growth, principled solutions.
Boehner met with the Rules Committee on Wednesday and Webster said his fate remained undetermined. So far, the two spots on the committee remain vacant and there is pressure to get the two Florida congressmen back on.
In the meantime, Boehner drew fire from Republicans for removing Webster and Nugent from the committee. U.S. Rep. Randy Weber, R-Texas, came out swinging against Boehner on Wednesday, calling for votes against all rules until the two Florida congressmen are back on the committee. Yoho appeared on Sean Hannitys show on Fox News and compared Boehners payback attempts to the policies embraced in tyrannical communist governments.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
