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Politics and Government News
Deirdre Walsh, NPR

17 House GOP freshmen write to Biden about working together

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Republican Rep. Peter Meijer of Michigan was one of the 17 House GOP freshmen who sent a letter to Joe Biden saying their constituents want to see bipartisan cooperation.
Republican Rep. Peter Meijer of Michigan was one of the 17 House GOP freshmen who sent a letter to Joe Biden saying their constituents want to see bipartisan cooperation.
Carlos Osorio/AP

Hours before President-elect Biden will take the oath of office, 17 House Republican freshmen sent a letter congratulating him and saying they are hopeful they can work across the aisle.

"After two impeachments, lengthy inter-branch investigations, and most recently, the horrific attack on our nation's capital, it is clear that the partisan divide between Democrats and Republicans does not serve a single American," the letter states.

Among the signatories were two House Republicans who voted to impeach President Trump last week — Rep. Peter Meijer of Michigan and David Valadao of California. A total of 10 House GOP members joined Democrats to back the article of impeachment citing the president for inciting an insurrection on Jan. 6.

But also signing the letter were several other members who voted for one or both challenges to the electoral results that Congress was tasked to certify on the day that a mob of violent pro-Trump extremists attacked the U.S. Capitol. Those included Rep. Stephanie Bice of Oklahoma, Rep. Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina, Rep. Scott Franklin of Florida, Rep. Carlos Gimenez of Florida, Rep. Yvette Herrell of New Mexico, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis of New York, Rep. Barry Moore of Alabama, Rep. Jay Obernolte of California, Rep. Burgess Owens of Utah and Rep. Jerry Carl of Alabama.

The group of 17 represents a small fraction of the 211 members in the House GOP conference, which has been split about recognizing Biden's victory in the weeks since the election.

In addition, several top Republicans on Capitol Hill have signaled they have concerns with the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package that Biden unveiled last week.

The letter cites some areas where they believe there could be some common ground. It states: "We hope to work with you to extend targeted, meaningful coronavirus relief for families and businesses, protect Americans with pre-existing conditions, strengthen and modernize our infrastructure, enforce our anti-trust laws against emboldened technology monopolies, and restore our economy struggling in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic."

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.