Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., told Newsmax Thursday that Democrats need to get on board with a Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., speakership so the House is able to function and provide aid to Israel.
“Let's remember that 208 Democrats, every single Democrat that was physically present in the House of Representatives, voted to vacate the speakership and eight Republicans joined them,” Van Orden said during an appearance on Newsmax’s “Wake Up America.” “So, if the Democrats truly want a functioning government and they want to make sure that we can provide assistance to Israel, which we have to because Jews are being slaughtered like they haven't been since the Holocaust and it's abhorrent. If these Democrats mean what they say — they've got all these support Israel signs outside of their offices — if they mean what they say, they better get on board and vote for Steve Scalise and make him speaker of the House.”
The House was plunged into chaos last week when Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was ousted from the speakership in a historic vote that paralyzed the lower chamber’s ability to conduct business. With no precedent to follow, Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., was named acting speaker until a new one could be chosen. McHenry has taken a limited approach to the role, though he recently said the House would act on assistance for Israel in the absence of a permanent speaker if necessary.
Van Orden expressed hope that “folks in the Republican conference adhere to their word and support the speaker designate that we elected and that’s Steve Scalise.” Scalise was nominated to serve as speaker in a secret-ballot vote of the Republican conference on Wednesday. He still needs a vote of the full House to gain the gavel.
“Steve Scalise is going to make an outstanding speaker of the House,” Van Orden said. “These folks said that Kevin McCarthy wasn't conservative enough and if they think Steve Scalise is not conservative enough, they don't know Steve Scalise. Jim Jordan, who is one of the most honorable men I've ever met in my entire life, and I told him that yesterday following the vote, he's endorsing Steve Scalise so I'm not sure why these folks in my conference are not supporting him wholeheartedly.
“If the person that they voted for, which was Jim Jordan, is endorsing Steve Scalise, by all means they should also understand that if Jim respects him, we all should. I certainly respect Steve Scalise tremendously. I want folks to remember that a Bernie Sanders supporter shot Steve Scalise in the femur during a baseball practice game and he came back to the team. If that doesn't show dedication to the conservative cause, nothing does.”
Responding to New York Republican Rep. George Santos’ remarks on social media that he will not support Scalise, Van Orden said, “George Santos has some other things to worry about.”
“I would encourage him to support Steve Scalise, as I will be doing,” he said. “He is going to make an outstanding speaker of the House. So, the other six or seven people that aren’t on board with Steve, I don't understand what they want. He is a conservative warrior and, if that's what they wanted, they got the right guy.”
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Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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