A couple of dominoes had to fall, but the U.S. House leadership shake-up did allow one Georgian to emerge with new prominence: U.S. Rep. Rob Woodall.
The Lawrenceville Republican just took over the Republican Study Committee, the conservative wing of the House GOP caucus. He will have a tough job for the next couple of months.
The RSC is considered the hard-liners of the GOP caucus, and yet more than half of House Republicans belong to the organization. Its previous chief was U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana — the leadership-backed pick who defeated U.S. Rep. Tom Graves of Ranger in a closed-door vote.
Scalise was critiqued by some for being too cozy to leadership and using the post for his own personal gain. Well, it worked.
Now he’s the House majority whip, drafting in behind new Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who took over after U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor’s shocking primary loss in Virginia.
That opened the door for Woodall, a wonky member of the Class of 2010 who was a longtime staffer for U.S. Rep. John Linder before taking over the seat. Woodall is a creature of the Rules Committee, the arcane group that often meets late at night and shapes every bill that goes to the floor. With his preacher’s cadence, he loves a stirring floor speech but carries a lower profile than many of his colleagues.
In fact, he’s setting aside ambition in order to take over the RSC: He agreed not to run for the chairmanship at the end of the year in order to be a caretaker for the post. RSC chairmen are limited to one two-year term anyway. U.S. Rep. Tom Price of Roswell is a former holder of the post.
In a recent interview, Woodall embraced the thorny challenges that the RSC will face in the coming weeks, without taking the kinds of saber-rattling positions some conservatives might like.
On the Export-Import Bank, a tool to subsidize U.S. exports that conservative groups want to end because they see it as a market-distorting giveaway, Woodall said the bank must at least shrink ahead of a reauthorization deadline in September.
“Whether the bank goes away or not may be an open question,” he said, “but whether the bank continues as it is, is not an open question.”
On the dwindling of the Highway Trust Fund, Woodall said, “This issue is one that begs for a long-term solution.” Then last week he voted for a short-term bill — which was opposed by conservative pressure groups — to put off the problem until the spring while including Graves-authored language demanding a long-term solution soon.
The new Woodall-led RSC will, for the first time, announce positions on bills. This could bring the group into conflict with GOP leadership, but given its broad membership, the RSC can be a difficult bunch to corral.
The transportation vote could set the stage for similar punts on the Export-Import Bank and funding the government. Woodall acknowledged this while saying he hoped such punts would at least inch toward more conservative policies — perhaps with a nudge from his group.
“The RSC has always wanted to make a positive difference,” Woodall said. “Do you make more by being confrontational or by being collegial? I think that depends on the circumstances.”
IN FOCUS
The latest chapter in Georgia’s years-long judicial vacancy soap opera came this week with the Senate voting for cloture on the nomination of Julie Carnes for the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Carnes is one of seven nominees by President Barack Obama for vacancies that in some cases stretch back years. Known as the Peach Pact, six of those were negotiated with Georgia’s Republican U.S. Sens. Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss.
Isakson and Chambliss backed Carnes’ cloture nod, though 23 of their Republican colleagues did not — likely out of pique with the way Majority Leader Harry Reid has changed the rules to allow a filibuster on nominees to be broken with 51 votes. Carnes’ confirmation is set for Monday.
A spokesman for Reid wouldn’t say why Carnes moved ahead of the other five Georgia nominees who cleared committee. But one nominee, Superior Court Judge Michael Boggs, remains on hold as Democrats and liberal groups assail his state House record — including a vote to keep the former state flag, featuring the Confederate battle emblem.
Word is that a committee vote on Boggs is likely before Congress skips town for August, and his chances of surviving it are slim.
VOTE OF THE WEEK
The House voted Tuesday to send $10.9 billion to the Highway Trust Fund to keep it solvent until the spring. Passed, 367-55.
Yes — Barrow (D), Bishop (D), Graves (R), Gingrey (R), Johnson (D), Lewis (D), Price (R), D. Scott (D), Woodall (R). No — Broun (R), Collins (R), A. Scott (R), Westmoreland (R). Not voting — Kingston (R).
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