Rep. Scott Garrett (R-NJ) has been reported saying that he will not pay his dues to the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) on the terms that it is recruiting from the LGBT community.
He made the remarks during a closed meeting of Republicans on the House Financial Services Committee. He said that the NRCC backs candidates who are gay.
Many committee members were not happy about Garrett’s comments. They pointed out that the NRCC does not back candidates in primaries.
Politico first reported on Rep. Garrett’s comments and the committee infighting.
Garrett has yet to make a statement concerning his boycott.
Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.), who is part of the NRCC leadership, said that Richard Tisei, who is a gay Republican, is “equally homosexual” as when Garrett donated to his campaign.
However, a compromise has been reached between the New Jersey Republican and the NRCC. Garrett will still donate to the building fund and recount efforts but he will not be making contributions to the commitee itself.
The closed door meeting was the latest in a saga of infighting among House Republicans, especially with the House Financial Services Committee. Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) called the meeting with the objective of getting members to align with Republican leadership, including paying dues and supporting key votes.
While it was said to the group of Republicans, it was described as mainly directed at Garrett. In addition to not paying dues, Garrett voted against Speaker John Boehner in his Speaker vote and he has gone against the party on some votes. He has done this while also holding a plum committee chairmanship assignment.
Rebellions in the House Republican caucus are nothing new, but Speaker Boehner and the leadership have become more active in retaliation. Previously, the betrayals were ignored for the sake of party unity, but now Speaker Boehner has removed people from key positions after voting against him and the party.
There have been attempts to unify the party, especially its members on the House Financial Services Commitee. However, those actions have not gone over well and the committee has slowed due to the infighting. There have also been attempts to remove Rep. Hensarling as chairman.
“In the short answer, of course, the chairman is the chairman, for the next year-and-a-half, and more likely, for the next 3½ years,” said Rep. Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) “But we do live in a time where there’s a lot of frustration within the conference in a variety of directions. Who knows when that will actually come to a boil.”