House Republicans belonging to a bipartisan group of lawmakers are open to supporting House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s bid for speaker if she agrees to consider bipartisan bills that Republicans and Democrats develop together.
Rep. Tom Reed, R-N.Y., told CNN Monday the 24 GOP lawmakers who are part of the 48-member-strong Problem Solvers Caucus could vote for the California Democrat, if she agrees to rule changes that allow for more votes on bills that get support from both parties.
“So essentially, the heart of what we are doing is that, if you get to certain consensus points, if you get X number of co-sponsorships on legislation or amendments, that we will actually bring it to the floor and guarantee to have an up-or-down vote on that legislation,” Reed, co-chair of the Problem Solvers Caucus, said during an interview on CNN. “For too long, it’s driven by the speaker’s office, by the leader’s office, and what they essentially say is: ‘Here it is, last-second, backroom deals have been cut. Vote yes or no depending on if you are a D or an R.’ It has to end.”
“And that’s why we are holding out our support, and I’m willing to cross over to support Nancy Pelosi, to say if you embrace these rule reforms for the American people, I will vote for her as well as any other Democratic candidate that does the same,” Reed said.
[Related: Democrats divided on who should be House speaker: Poll]
Republican @RepTomReed tells @brikeilarcnn he’s open to supporting Nancy Pelosi as House speaker.
“This isn’t a ploy, this isn’t a tactic, this isn’t a trolling operation,” he says.
So, what exactly is his strategy? https://t.co/M3XVwnpbCL pic.twitter.com/vL7rhEJtXv
— CNN Newsroom (@CNNnewsroom) November 19, 2018
Reed was name-checked in a tweet posted by President Trump last week in which the president reissued his endorsement of Pelosi, offering to whip Republican votes on her behalf should she need them to secure a second turn with the gavel.
But Reed on Monday was adamant his efforts weren’t “a ploy,” “a tactic,” or “a trolling operation” and said the reform package his group proposed was put together about six months ago.
“What this is seizing the opportunity, historically, of a new speaker candidate who can embrace these reforms to get the institution working for the American people again,” he said.
Pelosi may require extra support from across the aisle to receive a majority, or 218 votes, to officially be named speaker, should 16 House Democrats keep their promise to block her from the leadership position. No Democrat, however, has come forward to publicly challenge Pelosi, who has led the party for the past 16 years.
