President-Elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of the Interior — Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers — is likely to cause some degree of consternation in grassroots conservatives.
Although Rodgers came out with tepid support for Trump in May and was appointed a vice chair of his transition team in November, she is also viewed as an enthusiastic acolyte of House Speaker Paul Ryan and a staunch supporter of amnesty.
“Did I cast my ballot with enthusiasm? Not exactly.”
McMorris Rodgers was one of only 19 Republicans who signed then-Speaker John Boehner’s statement of immigration principles, which was little more than a direct call for amnesty.
And while McMorris Rodgers did endorse Trump in May — after it became clear that he would win the her home state of Washington’s primary — her support was not, in her own words, enthusiastic.
“Did I cast my ballot with enthusiasm? Not exactly,” McMorris Rodgers wrote in a Facebook post on May 18. “Do I have concerns about the comments he made in the past and on the campaign trail this year about women; people with disabilities; and those from different backgrounds? Absolutely,” she wrote.
“I vehemently disagree with such statements. They are wrong in a Presidential campaign; in our workplaces; in our homes; and anywhere else. I’ve called him out before, and I won’t be shy if he does it again because he owes it to our party and our country to treat everyone respectfully and to build an inclusive coalition,” she continued.
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McMorris Rodgers’ reluctant support for Trump, her past support for liberal immigration positions, and her long-standing entrenchment within GOP Establishment circles will likely give conservatives pause.
But the House Republican Conference chair is not without qualifications for the post or a record on relevant issues conservatives can get behind.
McMorris Rodgers is strongly in favor of maximizing the potential of U.S. energy production — including tapping reserves on federal land.
As head of the Department of the Interior, which oversees energy production on federal land, McMorris Rodgers would be in a position to help unleash America’s energy potential. She currently serves on the Energy and Commerce Committee and, according to The Wall Street Journal, is an ardent proponent of hydropower — hardly a surprise as Washington State is home to the Grand Coulee Dam, the nation’s largest producer of hydroelectric power.
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