Representative Steve Scalise (Credit: Jeff Malet Photography/Newscom)
Tensions between the Republican establishment and conservative movement reached a fever pitch Wednesday after House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) attacked conservative groups and a long-time Capitol Hill staffer lost his job as executive director of the Republican Study Committee.
Those developments brought a swift response from the Conservative Action Project, which released a letter signed by more than 50 conservative leaders expressing outrage at Boehner’s remarks and the firing for Paul Teller from his leadership post at the RSC.
We are saddened and outraged that an organization that purports to represent conservatives in Congress would dismiss a staff member for advancing conservatism and working with conservatives outside of Congress. Given this action, and the earlier comments by the Speaker, it is clear that the conservative movement has come under attack on Capitol Hill today.
In comments on the pending budget deal, Boehner scoffed at conservative groups that have voiced concerns about the plan. “They’re using our members and they’re using the American people for their own goals,” he told reporters. “This is ridiculous.”
A few hours later, Republican Study Committee Chairman Steve Scalise (R-LA) reportedly fired Teller for “undermin[ing] some GOP lawmakers in an alliance with conservative advocacy groups,” according to the Washington Post.
“We all rely on staff, but we have to have the full trust of our staff. Unfortunately, that’s no longer the case,” said Scalise, who narrowly won the RSC chairmanship in a contest with Representative Tom Graves (R-GA) last year.
Teller has not commented on the matter. Meanwhile, the move came as a surprise to members of the Republican Study Committee, according to National Journal.
Representative Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), who serves on the RSC’s steering committee, said, “I didn’t find out about it until I walked in the room.”
“Paul’s one of the most effective staffers on the Hill,” Representative Tim Huelskamp (R-KS) told National Journal. “He helps our cause. And firing him does not.”
The letter signed by more than 50 conservatives leaders came a day after House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Senate Budget Chairwoman Patty Murray (D-WA) unveiled a plan that increases spending and raises revenues by hiking fees on Americans.
>>> Learn More: 3 Things You Need to Know About the Budget Deal
A copy of the Conservative Action Project letter, including the full list of signers, is below. Four individuals associated with Heritage and Heritage Action — Edwin Meese III, Michael Needham, Ed Corrigan, and Becky Norton Dunlop — signed the letter.
Paul Teller is one of the true heroes of the conservative movement. For over a decade, he has been the guiding light of conservatism on Capitol Hill. No one has done more to advance conservative principles and block the liberal agenda than Paul Teller. In the tradition of President Reagan, he is a true happy warrior who is both forceful and courageous.
Today, we learned that he was dismissed from his service as Executive Director of the Republican Study Committee. Let us be clear. Paul Teller has the 100% support of the conservative movement and conservatives across America. We are saddened and outraged that an organization that purports to represent conservatives in Congress would dismiss a staff member for advancing conservatism and working with conservatives outside of Congress. Given this action, and the earlier comments by the Speaker, it is clear that the conservative movement has come under attack on Capitol Hill today.
We urge all conservative leaders to recognize the tremendous service of our friend Paul Teller, and to redouble your efforts to advance a true conservative agenda on Capitol Hill and across the country.
The Honorable Edwin Meese III
Former Attorney General
President Ronald Reagan
The Honorable David McIntosh
Former Member of Congress
Indiana
Brent Bozell
Chairman
For America
Mike Needham
CEO
Heritage Action for America
Colin Hanna
President
Let Freedom Ring
Phyllis Schlafly
Founder & President
Eagle Forum
Erick Erickson
Editor-in-Chief
RedState
Jenny Beth Martin
Co-Founder
Tea Party Patriots
Matt Kibbe
President
FreedomWorks
Amy Kremer
Chairman
Tea Party Express
David Bossie
President
Citizens United
The Honorable Becky Norton Dunlop
Former White House Advisor
President Ronald Reagan
Bill Walton
Chairman
Rappahannock Ventures LLC
The Honorable J. Kenneth Blackwell
President
Constitutional Congress, Inc.
Cliff May
President
Foundation for the Defense of Democracies
Tom Schatz
President
Council for Citizens Against Government Waste
Jim Ryun
Chairman
The Madison Project
The Honorable T. Kenneth Cribb, Jr.
Former Domestic Advisor
President Ronald Reagan
The Honorable Alfred S. Regnery
Former Publisher
American Spectator
Bob Reccord
Executive Director
Council for National Policy
Edward Corrigan
Former Executive Director
Senate Steering Committee
Jim Martin
Chairman
60 Plus Association
Dan Weber
Founder & Chairman
Association of Mature American Citizens
Peter J. Thomas
Chairman
The Conservative Caucus, Inc.
Curt Levey
President
The Committee for Justice
Bob Adams
Founder & President
Revive America PAC
Ralph Benko
President
Center for Civic Virtue
Andresen Blom
Senior Strategist
Center for Civic Virtue
Elaine Donnelly
President
Center for Military Readiness
Tommy Sears
Executive Director
Center for Military Readiness
Alex Cortes
Executive Director
Center for Military Readiness
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.
President & CEO
Center for Security Policy
C. Preston Noell III
President
Tradition, Family, Property, Inc.
Frank Cannon
President
American Principles Project
Susan Carleson
President
American Civil Rights Union
Donald Devine
Vice-Chairman
American Conservative Union
Craig Shirley
Biographer
President Ronald Reagan
Diana Banister
Director
Citizens for the Republic
Austin Ruse
President
C-FAM
Richard Norman
President
The Richard Norman Company
Matt Mackowiak
Executive Director
Fight for Tomorrow
Cindy Chafian
President
The Mommy Lobby
John Tate
President
Campaign for Liberty
Norman Kirk Singleton
Vice President of Policy
Campaign for Liberty
Terry Scanlon
President
Capital Research Center
Mrs. Cleta Mitchell
Jeff Frazee
Executive Director
Young Americans for Liberty
David Y. Denholm
President
Public Service Research Council
Kay R. Daly
President
Coalition for a Fair Judiciary
Sandy Rios
Vice President
Family PAC Federal
Paul Caprio
President
Patriotic Veterans
Rick Manning
Vice President, Public Policy & Communications
Americans for Limited Government
Dan Bongino
Candidate for Congress
Maryland’s Sixth District
Mark J. Fitzgibbons
American Target Advertising
Joe Gregory
Gregory Management Company
(All organizations listed for identification purposes only)
The post Conservative Leaders Voice Outrage at Firing of RSC Executive Director appeared first on The Foundry: Conservative Policy News Blog from The Heritage Foundation.