Billy Long's Response on Purged House Conservatives Weak

A Southwest Missouri constituent recently contacted Billy Long's Congressional office expressing anger at John Boehner for purging conservative Republicans from leadership position in Congress. These conservatives like Justin Amash are fiscal conservatives who have committed to many of the same principles that Billy Long committed to as he signed pledges like Grover Norquist's no tax increase pledge.

Despite these conservatives commitment to the promises they made, which resembles the same promises Long made to Southwest Missouri when he ran as the "fed up" Congressman, it doesn't appear Long is ready to rock John Boehner's boat and take a firm stand with the true conservatives in the House. Here is Congressman Long's response to the local constituent where Long pretends other conservatives are going to save us despite Boehner's purge. I remind Congressman Long, other "conservatives" like Tom Coburn are preparing to buckle under the pressure of this "fiscal cliff" which wasn't even important enough to discuss until after the presidential election--oh such political theater.


Thank you for contacting me with your concerns regarding the Republican Members of Congress who were removed House Committees on which they currently serve. 

As you know, some Republican Members of Congress lost their Committee assignments during the organization of the House of Representatives for the 113th Congress. Since the decisions were made, several media reports have speculated that Members were disciplined due to their voting record or their opposition to House leadership. Some speculation further argues that Members were stripped of their Committee Assignments because of their dedication to small government conservative principles.

Unfortunately, many media stories give an incomplete report of which Republican Members were removed from Committees and failed to mention other factors besides voting records which may have played a role in these decisions. While some of the Members who lost seats were conservative, some are also commonly characterized as moderate. Congressman Walter Jones of North Carolina, for example, used to be a Democrat and is considered one of the most moderate Republican Members of Congress. Mr. Jones was removed from the House Financial Services Committee and will not serve on that Committee in the 113th Congress. 

Additionally, only a very small number of Republican Members lost Committee assignments out of a very large number of conservatives in the Congress. I strongly believe all Members of Congress should vote their conscious without fear of reprisals or consequences from their leadership. However, I do not believe conservatives should unquestioningly believe unfounded media speculation that seems calculated to generate ratings and sell papers rather than accurately report what happened during the Committee assignment process for the upcoming Congress. 

Again, thank you for contacting me on this important issue. Hearing the views of all Missourians gives me the opportunity to better understand how important issues could impact the people of the Seventh District and the future interests of the nation. For additional information regarding current legislation, my representation of the Seventh District, and to sign up to receive my monthly newsletter, I invite you to visit my website at http://long.house.gov/. 

Sincerely, 
Billy Long
Member of Congress