This year's retreat for House GOP is Wednesday and Thursday in the Allegheny Mountains of WV. But no one wants to go. “Everybody's tired.” one House Republican says. "I'd rather sit down with Hannibal Lecter and eat my own liver.” (Axios) pic.twitter.com/UFIrvofUpj
— Hoodlum 🇺🇸 (@NotHoodlum) March 13, 2024
Many Republicans plan to skip House GOP retreat at Gov. Jim Justice's Greenbriar Resort in West Virginia (less than 100 attending) as they grumble about location and spending time with one another.https://t.co/PTZuzOsUJp pic.twitter.com/q7rzbPbyup
— Cat, Reigning Typo Queen👑NO DMs (@typocatCA) March 13, 2024
… Publicly, Republicans have cited a litany of reasons for not attending: from having to tend to reelection races to scheduling conflicts. GOP Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina, for example, is scheduled to appear on “Real Time with Bill Maher” later this week. Meanwhile, when asked if he was attending, GOP Rep. Kelly Armstrong of North Dakota told CNN: “No way, I have to run for governor.” And Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee quipped: “I don’t retreat, I move forward! I got a farm to run.”
But privately, some Republicans have complained about the venue choice. Sources said Speaker Mike Johnson selected the Greenbrier Resort because it was “family friendly,” in a break from past retreats which have taken place in sunny Florida – the preferred location of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
And other GOP lawmakers and aides told CNN they were simply not enthusiastic about the idea of having to huddle with the rest of their party at a time when Republican infighting has prevented them from even passing procedural votes…
In another hiccup for the retreat, the House GOP’s keynote speaker – Fox Business Host Larry Kudlow – had to drop out at the last minute, sources say. Howard Lutnick, the CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, will take his place instead.
Among the Republicans who have decided to skip the retreat include Rep. Mark Green of Tennessee, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee; Reps. Dusty Johnson of South Dakota and Stephanie Bice of Oklahoma, the co-chairs of the Main Street Caucus; and Rep. Dave Joyce of Ohio, chairman of the Republican Governance Group…
Per the ever-upbeat USA Today, “‘Everybody’s tired’: Groups of House Republicans skip annual retreat, exhausted by GOP infighting”:
… “Everybody’s tired. I know I’m tired,” one House Republican, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said. The intra-party battles that have roiled the House in recent months, the GOP lawmaker explained, has sapped the energy from some members.
Another House Republican who does not plan to attend noted frustration remains with ultraconservative lawmakers who have impeded House action and “is wearing everyone out” as a result.
The lawmaker reflected that there’s still hard feelings in the Republican conference, since it has been “less than six months since everything happened,” referring to the ouster of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.
Lawmakers typically use the retreats to talk about policy, hold discussions about ongoing debates and more. But one of the handful of Republicans who voted to oust McCarthy, Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., told USA TODAY the events are “not productive.”…
Dozens of officials are also retiring from Congress in the coming months, given the dysfunction that has consumed the House recently. Those lawmakers don’t have much incentive to attend the retreat and “working on future agendas might not be as interesting,” Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz., said.
The first order of business at the House GOP’s annual retreat, which kicked off Wednesday, was a press conference on expanding the majority, though less than half of that majority planned to attend the retreat. https://t.co/AaS0edd6YV pic.twitter.com/UehFZundyZ
— Roll Call (@rollcall) March 13, 2024
… The chaos that has plagued House Republicans in the 118th Congress spilled over into the annual event — meant to promote team-building and set priorities — which returned for the first time in several years to The Greenbrier in West Virginia, a historic luxury resort nestled in the Allegheny Mountains.
“We live in challenging times, we live in a time of divided government. Democracy is messy. Sometimes it’s very messy. This is part of that process,” Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters gathered on The Greenbrier’s lawn, with members and their guests watching from one of the hotel balconies. Johnson, R-La., was joined by New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, chair of the House Republican Conference, and North Carolina Rep. Richard Hudson, chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee.
Despite Johnson’s optimism, it was a not-so-triumphant return. Fox Business’ Larry Kudlow, who was scheduled to deliver a keynote speech, dropped out at the last minute. Presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump won’t be coming. And a spokesperson for the Congressional Institute, which sponsors the Republican Issues Conference, said just over 100 members of the 218-member majority had RSVP’d they were going. Some cited scheduling conflicts. Others were more blunt…