Republican Rep. Victoria Spartz, of Indiana, stated Monday that she’s going to focus her time in subsequent 12 months’s Congress on furthering Elon Musk’s mission to slash trillions of {dollars} in authorities spending and won’t caucus with Republicans or sit on any committees.
In her announcement, which was posted to social media, Spartz made clear that she’s nonetheless a member of the GOP however is taking these steps to keep away from the “circuses” of her get together.
“I will stay as a registered Republican but will not sit on committees or participate in the caucus until I see that Republican leadership in Congress is governing,” Spartz stated.
“I do not need to be involved in circuses. I would rather spend more of my time helping @DOGE and @RepThomasMassie to save our Republic, as was mandated by the American people,” she added, referring to the newly created Division of Authorities Effectivity. The Delivering Excellent Authorities Effectivity caucus will allegedly work in tandem with the toothless DOGE led by mega-billionaire Elon Musk and former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.
Spartz’s determination confused a few of her colleagues. However sources advised Politico that her seemingly sudden announcement got here after Spartz was handed over for a sought-after submit on the Home Methods and Means Committee.
Whereas Spartz waits till her get together can start “governing” effectively, she stated that she’s going to spend her time specializing in Musk and Ramaswamy’s efforts to take a chainsaw to federal spending. Nevertheless it’s unclear what impact, if any, she’ll have within the accompanying congressional caucus—particularly as a result of DOGE could have a subcommittee of its personal, chaired by onetime 9/11 denialist Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Regardless of nobody understanding how the DOGE caucus will work, many Republicans (and a few Democratic legislators) are foaming on the mouth for the prospect to work with President-elect Donald Trump’s deliberate advisory committee. Trump, for his half, has stated that the Musk-led group will advise him on find out how to slash public expenditures, whereas Musk has pledged to search out as a lot as $2 trillion in spending to be minimize. However once more, as DOGE is a fee and never a authorities company or division, it doesn’t even have any energy.
So it’s clear that Spartz’s determination to buck Republicans has much less to do along with her being keen to prioritize the well being of the nation and extra to do along with her petty quibbles with management.
Don’t be misled: Spartz is a tried-and-true conservative. On Monday, she aligned herself with the hardline conservative Home Freedom Caucus and stated that she supported the group’s proposal to crack down on immigration and deport thousands and thousands of undocumented immigrants.
However Spartz has, at instances, butted heads with members of her get together. When Home Republicans, in January 2023, had been working to elect a brand new Home speaker, she repeatedly voted “present” as an alternative of casting a poll in former Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s bid.
Extra lately, in November, Spartz issued an announcement titled, “GOP Will Show Courage or Go to Hell,” the place she slammed her get together for its supposed lack of bravery.
“Aristotle once said that courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees the others. The American people gave us another chance to restore our Republic, but it might be our last chance,” the assertion learn. “If my party betrays the American people and does not show courage to stand up to the DC ‘money machine’ and address the looming fiscal calamity, we will not deserve another chance.”
The instant query following Spartz’s announcement on Monday was whether or not her determination would additional imperil Home Republicans’ already razor-thin vote margin.
After the ultimate Home race was referred to as, Republicans had been slated to carry a five-seat majority within the chamber. However with former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz resigning after his failed bid for legal professional basic, Florida Rep. Mike Waltz set to resign to grow to be nationwide safety adviser, and New York Rep. Elise Stefanik leaving to grow to be the following U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, that quantity may shrink even additional. Any uncertainty may make issues particularly tough for the GOP caucus and Home Speaker Mike Johnson.
Spartz, for her half, might need to spend a few of her newfound free time determining find out how to retain her workplace workers. In response to the congressional database Legistorm, the congresswoman has a turnover charge of three.5 instances the 2024 Home common. Earlier this 12 months, she additionally reportedly threw furnishings at terrified staffers.
