DC – Illinois lost two Republican Congress members last week, but one of the five remaining members of the GOP US House caucus – the 18th District's Darin LaHood – says California Congressman Kevin McCarthy is the "right person" to lead the minority in the upcoming session.
McCarthy was elected Wednesday by the incoming Republican caucus to replace outgoing House Speaker Paul Ryan. LaHood said there are several issues he hopes the Democrats and Republicans can work on together in the next two years.
“Kevin McCarthy has worked tirelessly over the past two years as our Majority Leader and we have seen tangible results from our common-sense, conservative agenda. We passed comprehensive tax reform for the first time in 30 years leading to record economic successes, we accomplished landmark legislation to combat the opioid crisis, and have rebuilt our military and eliminated ISIS. Although we have accomplished many goals over the past two years, there is still work to be done as we move forward into the next Congress,” stated Rep. LaHood.
“No matter who holds the majority in the US House of Representatives, there are many issues that need bipartisan solutions, such as rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure, continuing to bring competition and affordability to the healthcare marketplace, and comprehensive immigration reform. I believe Kevin McCarthy is the right person to lead our Republican conference and my responsibilities remain grounded in serving my constituents in Illinois’ 18th District while working to move forward our conservative agenda forward.”
The remaining Republican members from Illinois for the 2019-2020 session are Mike Bost (12th) Rodney Davis (13th), John Shimkus (15th), Adam Kinzinger (16th) and LaHood (18th).