Senate Republicans say it’s unclear to them whether Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., the likely House speaker in the new Congress next year, will be able to rein in the large class of progressive freshman Democrats and make sure critical bills are passed on time.
“I hope for a productive relationship, but I don’t know to what extent she’s going to be able to control some of her rank and file who are looking for everything from [President] Trump impeachment to just opposition to everything Trump wants to do,” said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, noting infrastructure and possibly immigration as two areas where members might be able to reach consensus.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said Pelosi will have to deal with a more aggressive faction of Democrats in the House, just as former Speaker John Boehner had to deal with a group of conservative Republicans who didn’t always let him do what he wanted.
“She may try to dictate terms, and for starting out that may be okay, but you never get anything done around here that is not compromise,” Grassley said. “She will soon compromise because she’s been in Congress long enough to know that that’s how you get things done.”
Speaking to the Wall Street Journal CEO Council summit last week, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., argued that Pelosi would have to deal with her own “tea party” next year. Others in the Senate agreed it will be a lot for her to juggle.
“I see a lot of similarities, quite frankly. There’s new people coming in, there’s high expectations,” said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., who served in the House during the Boehner era. “When you have a large group that come in, and obviously she’s going to have some younger people and some newer ideas and fresh ideas, and they’re going to have to figure out how to navigate it.”
While Republicans are predicting difficulties for Pelosi once it’s time to legislate, they also agreed that she has so far handled the intra-party challenge to her bid to become House speaker again impressively.
“She seems to be pretty much in control of her caucus over there. It’s pretty impressive … It’s kind of telling that nobody has surfaced to run against her,” Cornyn said.
Capito said Pelosi has generally done a better job holding the center together than Boehner ever did.
“She has, in the past, been able to hold a tighter rein on her conference than Boehner could,” Capito said. “She found a way to offer certain positions or offer input in certain areas for her to solidify [the speakership].”
All eyes will be on Pelosi again Tuesday as she, along with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., are slated to meet with Trump at the White House to discuss the ongoing spending situation with government funding set to expire on Dec. 21.
