Dozens of freshman Republican lawmakers snubbed an invitation to the White House to visit with President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday night.
Just 11 of the 45 new Republicans elected to Congress in November accepted Biden’s invitation to the welcome party. Among the dozens who rejected the invite was Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., as well as several Republicans who initially sought to block Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s speakership bid in early January.
“Everyone is invited who is part of the new Congress,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Monday.
The Republicans who made an appearance included Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama; Rep. John James of Michigan; Rep. Mark Alford of Missouri; Rep. John Duarte of California; Rep. Tom Kean of New Jersey; Rep. Kevin Kiley of California; Reps. Nick Langworthy and Mike Lawler of New York; Rep. Nathaniel Moran of Texas; Rep. Dale Strong of Alabama, and Rep. Rudy Yakym of Indiana.
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The slim showing of freshman Republicans at the party doesn’t bode well for Biden’s prospects of getting his priorities passed through the House.
Rep. Josh Brecheen, R-Okla., did not immediately respond to a request for comment as to why he decided to skip the party. Santos also did not respond to a request for comment.
The bipartisan party comes as Biden is soon expected to announce his candidacy for the 2024 presidential race. He is also facing more scrutiny than ever amid a special counsel investigation into his alleged mishandling of classified documents.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., is leading the charge for Republicans looking into the matter, seeking testimony and documents from the Justice Department and the National Archives.
There have yet to be congressional hearings regarding the Biden documents, however, as the DOJ’s special counsel investigation into the matter has only just begun.