House Republicans will make themselves "absolutely irrelevant" if they do not remain united behind President-elect Donald Trump and his agenda, Rep. Derrick Van Orden said on Newsmax Saturday, one day after House Speaker Mike Johnson's dramatic reelection.
"We do not have any time for anybody to showboat at all," the Wisconsin Republican said on Newsmax's "Wake Up America Weekend." "There is no time for somebody standing up and just talking to hear the sound of their voice."
"What we need to do is have a very deliberative legislative process and follow the agenda that is laid out by President Donald J. Trump and get the country back on track," Van Orden added.
He pointed out that the country remains in a "downward spiral" after four years of President Joe Biden in office, including a border that is still open and "rampant crime" that includes the attacks in New Orleans and Las Vegas on New Year's Day.
"People are still having difficulty buying gas and groceries on the same day, and we're deeply concerned about the future for our children," said Van Orden. "I have confidence that the members of the Republican Conference understand that now, and they will act on it."
But GOP lawmakers who slow down Trump's agenda will be "held accountable," he warned.
Johnson squeaked out a win of 218-215 to keep his speaker's seat, after two lawmakers flipped their votes in his favor, but Van Orden admitted that his win didn't come in the "least dramatic way possible."
"Hopefully yesterday we saw the last of the congressional performance art that seems to have taken over part of this body," said Van Orden. "We just don't need that. The American people did not send us here to be members of a reality television show. They sent us here to try to reverse the tragic course that the Biden administration has put us on, and that's what we're going to do."
Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who had Democrats united behind him as speaker, called for bipartisanship in Congress, but Van Orden said Jeffries needs to understand that he was not elected as speaker.
"Our Democrat colleagues are not our enemies; they're our political opponents," he said. "But the Republican conference in the House, the Senate, and the White House were all handed to Republicans because of the disastrous policies enacted by the Democrat-controlled House over four years ago and through the Democrat-controlled Senate."
And while Republicans will consult with Democrats, "they didn't win," said Van Orden. "We did."'
"We're going to act like we won," he added. "So we're taking a victory lap for getting Johnson elected yesterday. We're going to go together. We're going to talk about budget reconciliation right now to make sure that we get the country back on track."
Van Orden said he does respect the opinions of many of his Democrat colleagues, "but Republicans won a mandate. They did not, and they better understand that."
About NEWSMAX TV:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America!
- Find Newsmax channel in your home via cable and satellite systems – More Info Here
- Watch Newsmax+ on your home TV app or smartphone and watch it anywhere! Try it for FREE – See More Here: NewsmaxPlus.com