Dozens of House Republicans plan to skip an upcoming GOP retreat, saying the location — and some of the attendees — are less than desirable, according to a new report. Those reported grumblings signal tensions within the party are still high in the wake of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's ouster.
According to CNN, fewer than 100 Republicans have RSVP’d for the event this Wednesday and Thursday, which amount to less than half of the Republican conference.
"Publicly, Republicans have cited a litany of reasons for not attending: from having to tend to reelection races to scheduling conflicts. GOP Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina, for example, is scheduled to appear on 'Real Time with Bill Maher' later this week. Meanwhile, when asked if he was attending, GOP Rep. Kelly Armstrong of North Dakota told CNN: 'No way, I have to run for governor.' And Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee quipped: 'I don’t retreat, I move forward! I got a farm to run,'" CNN's report stated.
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In private, some Republicans have complained about the Greenbrier Resort venue where the retreat is to be held — a break from past retreats that were usually held in Florida.
According to Speaker Mike Johnson, Greenbrier is much more "family friendly." But other GOP insiders told CNN they simply don't want to attend a retreat while Republican infighting is holding back their progress on various issues.
Some of the Republicans skipping the retreat are Rep. Mark Green of Tennessee, Reps. Dusty Johnson of South Dakota and Stephanie Bice of Oklahoma, and Rep. Dave Joyce of Ohio, CNN reports.
Also skipping the retreat is Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who will instead be attending a rally in Texas in support of far-right candidate Brandon Herrera.
