Boehner issues threat: vote for buget or lose your committee

The Hill

House Majority Leader John Boehner issued a veiled threat to GOP incumbents yesterday that they could be stripped of plum committee assignments if they voted against his budget resolution.

Three and a half months into his job, Boehner flexed his authority at a closed-door meeting, saying those lawmakers who do not face difficult races in November’s midterm election have no reason to vote against the budget, according to people who attended the conference session.

The House has passed a budget resolution roughly setting spending levels each year since 1974, and many congressional observers would view failure to do so this year as an embarrassment to Boehner.

----

During the meeting, Boehner also singled out Rep. Walter Jones, the Democrat-turned-Republican from North Carolina, as a lawmaker who did not support the budget and needed to be “talked to” by his fellow Republicans.

Republicans who may run afoul of the leadership could include Rep. Nancy Johnson (R-Conn.), a senior member of the powerful Ways and Means Committee who has voted against multiple budget bills in the past few years. Reps. Jim Gerlach (Pa.), Jim Leach (Iowa), John Hostettler (R-Ind.), Rob Simmons (Conn.), Chris Smith (N.J.), Christopher Shays (Conn.) and Jones are other Republicans who have voted against multiple budget bills.