GOP leadership fears Trump wing will 'burn the House down' after midterms

According to a report from Politico's Sarah Ferris and Olivia Beavers, moderate House Republicans are simultaneously excited at the prospect of reclaiming the House for Democratic majority control in November's midterm election and also fearful that far-right members will set about creating chaos instead of governing.

With multiple moderate GOP lawmakers retiring this year -- in many cases being driven out after attacks by former president Donald Trump -- members of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy's inner circle see allies leaving who were more interested in passing legislation and not just fighting culture wars and making headlines.

As Politico's report states, Michigan Rep Fred Upton's announcement that he won't seek re-election was "the latest in a series of blows to the House’s small but mighty group of GOP dealmakers, a loose bloc of lawmakers who — despite a party shifting rightward — still favor compromise over obstinacy," adding, "They will prove critical to Republican leaders’ ability to run the chamber next year should they win back the House as expected, regardless of the margin of that victory."

Noting, "The Republican leadership team will be dealing with a conference that’s clearly gotten more populist and, well, Trumpian over the four years since the party last controlled the House," the Politico report asked moderate Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) what their plans are.

“We can’t have this mindset of ‘burn the House down,’” he explained. “We got to be a governing party when we’re in the majority, so we need people like Upton and folks like that. So other people have to step up.”

According to Politico, "It’s far from clear who will replace those Republicans and what brand of politics the new members will bring — a stark reminder of how much the current primary season will shape the direction of the House GOP conference for the next two years," adding, "[McCarthy] won’t be able to sidestep new MAGA members in his ranks next year from other states. Part of the reason for that is redistricting — members’ willingness to strike deals often comes from the purple nature of their districts as much as their personal politics, and those districts are shrinking this year as map-drawing state Republicans have tried to narrow the playing field."

Rep. Peter Meijer (R-MI) lamented losing the experience some of the lawmaker brought to the table, with Politico reporting, "Meijer noted that his freshman class, which was sworn in amid the height of the pandemic and just days ahead of the insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, doesn’t know what 'regular order looks like' — and that much of the House has changed significantly since there was regular order.

Retiring Rep. John Katko (R-NY) expressed worries about what will happen after he is gone.

“I just hope and pray that people come along and pick up the mantle of what we’ve done,” he stated.

You can read more here.

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