'We’re worse off': GOP rep blames 'small group of Republicans' for House’s failure to pass bills

The 118th Congress was one of the least productive meetings of the House of Representatives in more than a century, passing just 27 bills that became law in 2023. And one high-ranking member of the House majority is blaming his fellow Republicans.

According to a Saturday report in The Hill, Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-South Carolina) — the House Financial Services Committee chairman who temporarily served as acting Speaker of the House for four weeks — laid blame at the feet of members of his own party for the inability to accomplish House Republicans' policy goals.

"“What happened by a small group of Republicans this year put us behind for what I want to effectuate is in public policy — for conservative policy outcomes,” McHenry said. “We’re worse off for eight Republicans voting with all the Democrats to oust the most effective Republican Speaker we’ve had in a long time.”

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McHenry held the speaker's gavel during the interim period following the ouster of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-California) in October. As interim speaker, McHenry was unable to do anything other than conduct procedures relating to the election of a new speaker. The House Republican Conference nominated House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana), House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minnesota) and House Judiciary Committee Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) before coalescing around Rep. Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) to be speaker.

Since his election as speaker, Johnson has so far accomplished little aside from avoiding a federal government shutdown, expelling former Rep. George Santos (R-New York) from the body and authorizing an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, which even conservative lawmakers admit has little chance of success. Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) tore into the House GOP in a November floor speech, challenging his fellow Republicans to name "one thing" he can campaign on in his own district.

"I want my Republican colleagues to give me one thing. One. That I can go campaign on and say we did. One! Anybody sitting in the complex, if you want to come down to the floor and come explain to me, one material, meaningful, significant thing the Republican majority has done besides, ‘Well, I guess it’s not as bad as the Democrats,'" Roy said.

The House's ongoing dysfunction has led to a wave of retirements from members frustrated about the lack of action in the body. Both McCarthy and McHenry have announced they will not seek reelection, adding to the growing list of names either resigning or seeking other political offices. According to the House of Representatives press gallery casualty list, there are 23 Democrats and 12 Republicans who are either resigning or running for office elsewhere. and of the members who have resigned, died or been expelled, there are still four vacancies to be filled.

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