House GOP Leadership Press Conference

SPEAKERS: U.S. REPRESENTATIVE DENNIS HASTERT (R-IL), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE

U.S. REPRESENTATIVE JOHN A. BOEHNER (R-OH), HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER

U.S. REPRESENTATIVE ROY BLUNT (R-MS) HOUSE MAJORITY WHIP U.S. REPRESENTATIVE DEBORAH PRYCE (R-OH)

U.S. REPRESENTATIVE ADAM PUTNAM (R-FL)

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HASTERT: We have spent the last three weeks talking among ourselves as members of this Congress, and members going out the hard way and getting votes and talking about -- our members -- about a new vision about this party and the direction we're going to go.

I want to congratulate both John Boehner and Adam Putnam and new members of the leadership. Leadership's going to go back to work. We'll be back at work tomorrow at 10:00 o'clock tomorrow morning. 

We're going to look at the issues of health care, the issues of energy, the issues of keeping our tax rates low for the American workers -- and we have a lot of work to do. 

And at this time, then, I would like to introduce the new conference majority leader, John Boehner. 

(APPLAUSE)

BOEHNER: Mr. Speaker, thank you.

Ladies and gentlemen, thanks for coming out today. 

I'm humbled by the support of my colleagues to be the new majority leader for Republicans in the House. We ran a good race.

Come over here, Roy.

It's been a well-fought race. And I think our members wanted obviously to make a big decision, and they did.

And I would just say this. We came here to do our work on behalf of the American people. I never came here because I wanted to be a congressman. I came here to help solve the problems that the American people face every day. 

And I think what you're going to see us do is rededicate ourselves to dealing with issues, big issues that the American people expect us to deal with, in terms of trying to improve their incomes, their prospects for jobs, and to provide better security for Americans all over this country.

And with that, I'm going to introduce our whip and my friend, Roy Blunt.

BLUNT: Thank you, John.

(APPLAUSE) 

We are through this process. We're ready now to start not just making the Congress better, but the country better. 

When I started making calls a few weeks ago on the majority leader's race, I decided when I made those calls I wasn't going to finish a call without saying something good about John Boehner. I may have overdone that just a little bit now that I look back at it.

(LAUGHTER)

But I'm glad we both did it that way. We've been good friends a long time. We have the great potential here to work together. I know both the speaker and the leader are glad that I can obviously count votes on the floor with quite a bit more precision than I can the 110 votes that we got on the ballot for the leader's race.

But these are the hardest kinds of competition. They take friends who work closely together and achieve things together and make our members make tough choices.

I have great confidence in the capacity of the members to figure out what the country needs. I am absolutely at peace with their decision.

BLUNT: I look forward to working to do what we can to make the country better and advancing the agenda that protects America's families, grows the economy and secures our freedom.

I know the speaker is committed to that. I know our new leader is committed to that. I know our entire leadership team is committed to that, and I look forward to what we're going to do over the next few weeks and months.

PRYCE: Adam?

PUTNAM: Well, they said they wanted a fresh face. 

(LAUGHTER)

I'm honored to have been elected to serve as Policy Committee chairman. The Republican Party is the party of ideas. We're renewing our commitment today to that goal. This is the party that has freed millions of Americans from welfare. We're the party of job creation. We're the party of entrepreneurial spirit. 

And we recommit that dedication to those ideals and to a sound vision, not just for the next fiscal year, not just as a Band-Aid to get through the election cycle, but for generations to come.

Most of the challenges that we face in this world are generational in nature, and the Republican Party speaks for those future generations.

And I look forward to working with our new leadership team. We are blessed to have an abundance of talent in our conference. We haven't lost anyone in our leadership team. We've gained some great new perspectives. And I look forward to working with all of them.

Thank you.

END

Source: CQ Transcriptions
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