One Republican source, who frequently talks to McCarthy, said the GOP leader probably would favor Stefanik, who is close to McCarthy and who was one of Trump’s chief defenders during his first impeachment proceedings in 2019. The source said Walorski, a five-term lawmaker whom McCarthy tapped to lead Republicans on the House Ethics Committee, also would be acceptable.
“It will be Elise or Jackie, one plugged-in, senior House Republican told The Hill, citing the need to have a woman at the leadership table.
Aside from Cheney, McCarthy’s leadership team is almost entirely comprised of white men. Dumping Cheney has created a potentially embarrassing situation for Republican leaders who are both touting the diversity of their 2020 freshman class and hoping to broaden their tent again in the 2022 midterms, when they see a good shot at winning back the House.
GOP lawmakers on Sunday made it clear that they were not satisfied with President Biden’s proposed $2.3 trillion infrastructure bill as members of his administration advocated for the measure as a necessary investme
Moments later, Cheney fist-bumped Biden as he walked down the aisle to the dais.
The contrast between Biden and his more polarizing predecessor could not be more stark. At the State of the Union address just a year ago, Pelosi was so furious with what she called the “manifesto of mistruths” she ripped up a copy of Trump’s speech as he stood a few feet away.
If he did anything during his speech, Biden lowered the temperature in the Capitol and in Washington. At one poignant moment, the president personally thanked McConnell for naming a cancer research bill after his son, Beau Biden, who died of brain cancer. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle applauded the line.
“There are not many of us that are going to be able to go because they’re limiting it pretty dramatically,” Scalise said. “There are a lot of people that haven’t been before that want to go.”
Lawmakers can’t bring guests, although some have announced “virtual” guests instead to tout notable constituents in their districts.
Pelosi, who normally has a box of seats available to fill, announced Tuesday that Kenneth Tai, the chief health officer at a community health center in San Francisco, will be her virtual guest.
The footprint from other branches of government is also being scaled back dramatically, with most Cabinet and executive officials watching remotely.