The government has shut down, and most House Republicans are nowhere to be found.
Speaker Mike Johnson kept the House on recess as the days and hours until the funding deadline ticked down, arguing that his chamber already passed a short-term spending bill and betting the House’s absence would pressure the Senate to pass it.
The House will likely not return to Capitol Hill until Oct. 7, a week into a shutdown. But Republican leadership is projecting confidence that they will have the upper hand, both in terms of negotiations with Democrats and in the eyes of the public. Leadership, however, is warning Republican members that even a few missteps could cost them the messaging battle.
On Monday and Tuesday, NOTUS reached out to every House Republican office to inquire about lawmakers’ schedules for the week. Fewer than two-dozen offices or lawmakers responded, and even fewer provided details about members’ calendars this week. Republican leadership is content as long as their members lay low and avoid generating negative headlines.
“Don’t fly to Cancun,” one House GOP leadership aide told NOTUS, in an apparent jab at Sen. Ted Cruz who was photographed flying to Cancun during the deadly 2021 Texas ice storm.
On top of being urged not to take — or at least not be spotted taking — any luxurious vacations, Johnson and House leadership warned their conference during a members-only call on Monday against doing anything “political” before and during a shutdown.
“Nothing overtly political or super political activity, including fundraisers,” a different House leadership aide said. “You gotta think long and hard about the optics of that for blowback purposes.”
Not every Republican is thrilled with the plan. A handful of members on the call, including Reps. Mike Lawler and Beth Van Duyne, objected to leadership’s guidance to remain in their districts and avoid D.C., arguing that their disappearance hands Democrats easy messaging fodder.
They are not alone.
Rep. Steve Womack, a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee who told NOTUS he will be in D.C. for the duration of the shutdown, said that while “everyone has to make their own call, I don’t feel like it’s a winning strategy” to not be in Washington.
“I just don’t think it looks good for the legislative body, which is the only way out of this mess, to be home,” Womack said. “And the danger is that if you’re home and you’re doing silly stuff, fundraising and all that kind of stuff, that makes us look bad.”
He added that members should be ready to vote to open the government without a 48-hour notice, which is already required for members not in D.C.
“So the sense of urgency narrative is a bit weak when you spend all that time at home,” Womack said.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz checks into a flight at Cancun’s airport a day after flying there with family while his state suffers power and water failures from a winter storm. CBS News confirms Cruz originally booked his return flight for Saturday, but it was changed Thursday morning pic.twitter.com/sp9fPiwPDW
— CBS News (@CBSNews) February 18, 2021
So, where are the House Republicans?
On the same member-only call, Johnson told Republicans to remain in their districts and not travel to D.C.
Spokespeople for Reps. Jodey Arrington, Don Bacon and Vern Buchanan said they have scheduled constituent meetings or public engagements in their districts this week. Rep. Eli Crane said he is working from D.C.
Some offices, such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s, were more vague about their boss’ whereabouts.
“Congresswoman Greene is continuing to work for northwest Georgia like she does every single day,” spokesperson Alec Ernst told NOTUS. “Even if the government shuts down, she’ll still be working.”
Anthony Fakhoury, a spokesperson for Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, told NOTUS that her office does not share the congresswoman’s schedule “for safety reasons.”
“I can however tell you what her top priority is this week: stopping the reckless Democrat shutdown, and keeping the government open for our military, veterans, families and ALL Americans,” Fakhoury said.
Some lawmakers responded to NOTUS’ inquiry with standard Republican talking points.
“House Republicans did our part and passed a clean CR,” Rep. Derrick Van Orden told NOTUS in a statement. “Chuck Schumer and the Democrats are holding the American people hostage for $1.5 TRILLION to provide free healthcare to illegal immigrants. I remain focused on keeping the government open and making sure Wisconsin families don’t pay the price for their liberal agenda.”
Other lawmakers have been spotted around Washington. Rep. Rob Wittman hosted a lunchtime fundraiser Tuesday at Capital Grille, where ticket prices ranged from $5,000 to $500, according to an invitation obtained by NOTUS. Lawler and much of House GOP leadership, including House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, have done media appearances from D.C.
Rep. Morgan Griffith presided over a pro forma session on the House floor Tuesday. Rep. Warren Davidson was also present.
Johnson has been highly visible, hosting regular media availabilities and meeting with President Donald Trump and congressional leadership Monday at the White House.
Still, House Democrats are seizing on the optics to hammer Republicans for being missing in action.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Monday called his caucus to Capitol Hill for a series of meetings and media availabilities to highlight the contrast between Democrats being in D.C. and Republicans being elsewhere. Democrats are also blasting Republicans for blocking the swearing-in of Adelita Grijalva, who would offer the final necessary signature to force a vote to release files related to Jeffrey Epstein.
“House Democrats are on duty. House Republicans on vacation,” Jeffries told reporters Tuesday morning. “Shame on them for being on vacation all across the country and across the world.”
So far, the polling on which party would be blamed for a shutdown is mixed. A New York Times/Siena poll last week indicated that a larger share of voters would blame Trump and congressional Republicans than Democrats, although 33% of respondents blamed both parties “equally.” But 65% of voters said that Democrats should not shut down the government if their demands are not met.
That’s an encouraging sign to several House Republicans. Plenty are still bullish that they can win the shutdown messaging without being in D.C.
“If Democrats want to play their political games, they’re entitled to do that — that’s their right to do so,” Griffith told reporters Tuesday.
“If I were in their shoes, and my party had made the error in trying to shut the government down, I might be here to try to spin it,” Griffith said. “But the bottom line is, Republicans have a pretty simple message: ‘We funded the government. Why won’t you?’”