Georgia GOP Rep. Tom Price says red-state House members must play a strong role in the body’s Republican leadership.
House Speaker John Boehner hails from Ohio, Majority Leader Eric Cantor from Virginia, and House Whip Kevin McCarthy from California.
“I think we need red-state representation in both our leadership as well as the organizing committees that we have,” Price told Washington, D.C., radio station WMAL Wednesday.
He’s outgoing chairman of the Republican Policy Committee and recently lost an attempt to become conference chairman
Price noted that 70 of the 85 GOP House members voting for the fiscal cliff bill come from blue states. He voted against the legislation.
“I think this is a red state-blue state issue,” Price said. “When we were talking about previous solutions, it really broke down in our conference between Republicans who are from red states and those who are from blue states. It’s a different conversation that we need to have within our own conference as we move forward with the kind of positive solutions that I think are out there.”
Republicans must be willing draw a line in the sand as to what fiscal policy they will accept, “recognizing that the president has not been an honest broker and has not been willing to put any spending reductions on the table,” Price said.
He might be pleased to learn – if he hasn’t already -- that Boehner is telling fellow Republican House members and their aides that he won’t engage in further one-on-one negotiations with the president, The Hill reports.
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