DORAL, Fla. — House Republicans have gathered in South Florida at one of President Donald Trump’s resorts for their yearly retreat, a tradition to discuss legislative priorities. But only 105 of the 218 members were actually present at Trump National Doral Miami on Tuesday.
“We’re talking about the policy and what our agenda will be for the remainder of this year. And of course, the politics as well,” Johnson summarized in a press conference Tuesday.
The number of Republicans not in attendance is notable considering the conference is trying to keep its majority during this midterm election year. With historic retirements, public infighting and lots of legislative priorities on the table, the fact that so many decided not to participate in the strategy session could cause more issues before the midterms.
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Multiple lawmakers noted how crucial the retreat is to get the Republican majority, with just a one-vote margin at this point, moving in the same direction ahead of what could be a decisive election.
“We have a big playbook of plays, and as a team, we are corralling together for the next couple of days to try to make the final plan on which plays we’re actually going to run in the remaining course of this game,” Johnson, a fan of football metaphors, said at the press conference.
Rep. Mark Alford noted how important the retreat is to unite the conference on crucial pieces of legislation.
“Nothing is ever easy in the U.S. House of Representatives when you have a one-vote margin,” Alford told NOTUS. “So it’s a lot of getting our family on board. That’s what this meeting is about over the next couple of days, to not just plot our strategy for victory in the midterms, but also to coalesce, find some common themes and common ideas and really flesh them out.”
Discussing a potential second reconciliation bill is one of the main items on the agenda, but leadership is missing a chunk of moderate House Republicans who will be key in getting such a bill across the finish line.
Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart told NOTUS that passing it would be an uphill battle, even if the moderates attended the conference.
Being in Doral is “great because we’re all kind of talking about what the issues are,” Díaz-Balart said. “But you’re still going to have to then get people vote by vote, individual by individual.”
Rep. Jason Smith, the chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, said on Tuesday that he does not believe a second reconciliation bill “will ever happen.”
When asked whether having the entire conference at Doral would have helped, Smith told NOTUS that it wouldn’t change the outcome: “I think people have their mind made up of where they’ll be on this and that’s why I’m saying I don’t see a path.”
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the number of House Republicans. There are 217 Republicans in the House, and one independent who caucuses with the party.
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