House Democratic lawmakers are staying mum in the wake of comments made by the fifth-ranking House Democrat, calling for a “change” in leadership atop the caucus.
Democrats are trying to refocus after the comments made by Rep. Linda Sanchez, D-Calif., last Thursday, which were taken as a shot across the bow at House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, and Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C.
“We have a number of issues we need to focus on right now,” said Rep. Joe Crowley, D-N.Y., the caucus chairman, naming the hurricane recoveries in Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the wildfires in California as ongoing crises.
“There was a budget on the floor last week that we don’t believe is representative of the values of our nation. We have a president who tweets at every little thing that happens around him,” Crowley told the Washington Examiner. “There are a lot of things going on. This isn’t where we should be focused. We should be focused on issues that matter to the American people.”
Notably, Crowley and Sanchez did not hold their weekly presser to discuss party matters that usually takes place following the caucus meeting. One lawmaker said the topic did not come up Wednesday morning.
On Tuesday, Hoyer tried to sidestep the remarks. He praised Sanchez’s work as vice chair of the caucus, a post she won late last year in a tight vote over Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif.
“I think the caucus is focused on … the policies that affect the American people,” Hoyer told reporters. “I think Linda Sanchez is doing a good job as vice chair of the caucus. She’s energetic, she’s involved, and you’d have to ask her what motivated her to say that.”
“The fact is members … when they talk to me, are very positive about the job that we’re doing. We’ve been pretty successful when we’ve been in the minority, and we’ve been very united. That’s the key to success, so I want to focus on that.”
Sanchez’s comments came during an interview on C-SPAN’s “Newsmakers” last Thursday as the House was leaving town for the week.
However, they aren’t the first time members have looked ahead to the next generation of leaders. The likes of Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, and Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., both have called for an influx of new leadership. Ryan himself challenged Pelosi for her leadership post late last year after Trump’s November victory.
However, Pelosi has been able to hold her caucus at bay with a string of perceived Democratic victories in recent months, with the help of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. They include including winning a three-month extension on the debt ceiling and spending deal, and what the two leaders believed to be a tentative agreement to protect recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
