logo
Meet the Trump-picked lawmakers giving Speaker Johnson a full House GOP conference

Meet the Trump-picked lawmakers giving Speaker Johnson a full House GOP conference

Fox News06-04-2025

House Republicans will finally begin this week with a full conference for the first time this year.
Newly minted representatives Randy Fine, R-Fla., and Jimmy Patronis, R-Fla., won special elections in the Sunshine State's 6th and 1st congressional districts, respectively, Tuesday night.
It's going to give some much-needed wiggle room to Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who has been wrestling with a one- to two-vote margin since the 119th Congress began at the beginning of January.
In separate interviews with Fox News Digital this week, both lawmakers signaled they would be team players focused on advancing President Donald Trump's agenda, likely welcome news for House GOP leaders as they navigate a conference that's been deeply fractured on key issues like government spending.
"We do not need the team to fight within itself. Everyone's got to keep their eye on the prize," Fine said. "How do we make Speaker Johnson successful? And when we do that, how do we make President Trump successful? My focus is helping the team be successful. That will help my constituents. That will help Florida. That will help the country."
Patronis told Fox News Digital some of his top priorities would be the military and veterans and advancing Trump's policies on government efficiency, the border crisis and fentanyl trafficking.
The military is particularly important to Patronis, who until recently was the chief financial officer of Florida. The 1st Congressional District, which had been represented by former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., maintains a heavy military presence in multiple branches of the armed forces.
Patronis pledged his office would be "doing everything we can" to help the military installations continue to "protect our nation."
On veterans' care, the new Florida congressman lauded Trump's first administration for backing reforms aimed at enabling veterans to seek care outside of VA hospitals but said it was "mothballed" under the Biden administration.
"It's really allowed those vets to seek services in their own community instead of traveling out of state," he said, pledging to work to get it back on track.
While he did not mention the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) specifically, Patronis signaled he aligned with its goals of transparency in federal spending.
"I'm a big believer that the citizens of the state of Florida spend their money better, a heck of a lot better, than Washington, D.C., does," Patronis said. "I like being a watchdog. … I like to ensure that that transparency is the norm, that we have, you know, a public that is informed and aware how their tax dollars are being used."
Fine, when asked about his agenda items, deferred largely to the president.
"The big agenda item for me is gonna make sure we get President Trump's agenda passed. Look, it's a narrow majority, and you have to support the team captain," Fine said.
He pointed out that Florida's Republican majority grew significantly during his tenure in both houses of the state legislature.
"It didn't get there overnight. It's because Republicans showed that we knew how to govern, and we hit singles and doubles and triples every day. And the voters rewarded us," Fine said. "The goal needs to be go from a five-vote majority to a 15, to a 25, to a 35, and you do that by governing and putting points on the board every day."
Both Republicans made clear, however, that their principles would follow them from the Sunshine State to the nation's capital.
Patronis said he was looking at starting work on insurance reform, a critical issue in Florida, a state that regularly deals with natural disasters.
"When you've got high insurance rates, when you've got inflation the way it is, home ownership is more of a dream than a reality," he said. "We rolled out several solutions when I was CFO."
Among the initiatives he mentioned was legislation to create a tax-free savings account to help homeowners during national disasters, a bill that was introduced by Rep. Laurel Lee, R-Fla., a fellow delegation member.
Fine maintained to Fox News Digital that he "can't give carte blanche" guarantees to House GOP leaders but said he foresaw few if any future points of contention.
"I was the only Republican Jew in the Florida legislature for eight years. I got this crazy nickname, the 'Hebrew hammer,' which I finally decided to embrace," Fine said. "If, God forbid, they were going to do something that stood in the way of [fighting antisemitism], that would be an example where my principals would override, and I wouldn't be able to be with the team."

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Is 4,700 federal troops a big deployment?
Is 4,700 federal troops a big deployment?

New York Times

time32 minutes ago

  • New York Times

Is 4,700 federal troops a big deployment?

About 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines have been sent to Los Angeles as of Tuesday morning, after President Trump bypassed California leaders who said federal forces were not needed to respond to mostly peaceful protests. Here's how the deployment compares to past military activations on domestic soil responding to social unrest. 2021: Attack on the Capitol In 2021, officials in Washington initially requested 340 National Guard members to help respond to planned protests on Jan. 5 and Jan. 6, according to the military. As the protests on Jan. 6 against the 2020 presidential election results deteriorated, with a violent mob attacking police officers and the Capitol, the mayor of Washington D.C., Muriel Bowser, requested assistance, and 1,100 D.C. National Guard members were sent. Later that night, the acting defense secretary at the time, Chris Miller, mobilized 6,200 more National Guard members from other states to ensure peace in the days leading up to former President Joseph R. Biden's inauguration. 2020: George Floyd Protests After protests sprung up around the United States in response to the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, National Guard members were deployed to several states. As of June 3, 2020, the National Guard had deployed more than 18,000 members in 28 states to respond to civil unrest related to Mr. Floyd's murder at the request of the states' governors. Another 42,000 National Guard members were activated at the same time for the coronavirus pandemic response. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.

Newsom Warns Trump May Use Soldiers on Immigration Raids
Newsom Warns Trump May Use Soldiers on Immigration Raids

Bloomberg

time37 minutes ago

  • Bloomberg

Newsom Warns Trump May Use Soldiers on Immigration Raids

Gavin Newsom is warning that Donald Trump's use of troops where state and local officials don't want them is actually a test, one the Republican president may seek to replicate across other American towns and cities as part of his mass deportation effort. 'We're getting word that he's looking to operationalize that relationship and advance significantly larger-scale ICE operations in partnership and collaboration with the National Guard,' the Democratic governor said on the podcast Pod Save America. Such a move would likely be illegal for reasons similar to those Newsom has cited in litigation to stop Trump's use of the military in Los Angeles. Legal experts have said that, as with many of Trump's emergency declarations since he took office, there is no legal basis for the Republican's move to take control of the California National Guard. State and city officials have reported that protests against Trump and his immigration raids have been largely peaceful during the day with minor skirmishes at night, while limited to a few parts of a city that spreads over several hundred square miles. With no reported deaths and few injuries—some among journalists shot with plastic rounds by local police —protests have begun spreading across the country. Demonstrations have been held in New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, Texas and Washington. Meanwhile, Trump's federalization of 4,000 members of California National Guard and his ordering of 700 active duty Marines to Los Angeles will reportedly cost $134 million for 60 days.

Trump's invasion of California marches on
Trump's invasion of California marches on

Politico

time41 minutes ago

  • Politico

Trump's invasion of California marches on

Presented by Health Justice Action Fund ALL ANGLES: California leaders are bracing as Donald Trump's administration continues its multi-pronged attack on the state. The president is considering cutting federal education funds to California, which could cost the cash-strapped state billions of dollars, our Rebecca Carballo, Juan Perez Jr. and Eric He report today. The development comes as Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass grapple with Trump's deployment of the National Guard and Marines to Southern California. The governor is awaiting a Thursday afternoon hearing on a request for a restraining order over the deployment of the National Guard and Marines. (The federal judge assigned to the case is the younger brother of retired Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer.) Trump claimed he called Newsom 'a day ago' and that Los Angeles 'would be burning' if not for the federal government's intervention. Newsom is fact-checking him in real time … 'There was no call. Not even a voicemail,' Newsom said in an X post responding to Trump's Oval Office comments. 'Americans should be alarmed that a President deploying Marines onto our streets doesn't even know who he's talking to.' Meanwhile, Bass today told reporters that she has 'no idea' what the 700 Marines sent to Los Angeles by U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth are for, and that coordination between the city and the federal government has not been strong. 'People have asked me, what are the Marines going to do when they get here? That's a good question.' she said. She said the National Guard's only assignment was to guard federal buildings. Bass said she plans to call the president later today to tell him to stop the raids that she says have the potential to 'devastate the economy of the city of Los Angeles.' 'Don't you want the World Cup to be a success, a success for you? Well, if that's what you want, give us help. Give us the $130 million that is being used for no reason,' Bass said, referencing what Hegseth said could be a 60-day effort from the federal government. The mayor said the Los Angeles Police Department has the situation under control and that assistance from the federal government is not needed. 'The violence that has happened has required LAPD to ask for additional assistance, but not from the federal government,' she said. Bass said there might be another rally today and that she would be attending an interfaith prayer service to call for peace. Norman reported from Los Angeles. IT'S TUESDAY AFTERNOON. This is California Playbook PM, a POLITICO newsletter that serves as an afternoon temperature check on California politics and a look at what our policy reporters are watching. Got tips or suggestions? Shoot an email to lholden@ WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY GETTING THE BOOT: State Sen. Caroline Menjivar — who has been vocal about her opposition to cutting Medi-Cal benefits for undocumented immigrants — will no longer serve on a legislative budget subcommittee, our Rachel Bluth reports for POLITICO Pro subscribers. Menjivar's removal from the panel by outgoing Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire comes after the Legislature released a budget proposal that includes some of the cuts to the insurance program that Newsom put forth in a plan to close a $12 billion budget hole. According to Menjivar, she was briefed about the Legislature's budget proposal over the weekend as her home district of Los Angeles was thrown into chaos over immigration raids and violent confrontations between protesters and police. With the subcommittee scheduled to vote on the cuts at a meeting Tuesday evening, she said she let McGuire know ahead of time that she planned to vote against them. Then, Monday evening, Menjivar's chief of staff got a call from McGuire's office with word that she was being removed from her post. Menjivar said she tried to get an explanation from McGuire but her calls to him went unanswered. 'I'm disappointed,' Menjivar said. 'I really wish I could have recorded my concerns.' IN OTHER NEWS TRAFFICKING DEBATE CONTINUES: The Assembly's embattled sex trafficking bill advanced from the Senate Public Safety Committee today, even as some members called for major changes as it moves through the second house. The legislation from Assembly Public Safety Chair Nick Schultz would increase penalties for people soliciting sex from 16- and 17-year-olds and would criminalize loitering with the intent to buy sex. State Sen. Scott Wiener had strong words about the second provision, which undoes part of a bill he authored three years ago that decriminalized loitering with the intent to commit prostitution. He and others who oppose that element of the bill say it could be used to target people of color and the LGBTQ+ community. Wiener voted to move the bill forward, but he said the loitering element 'needs to come out before it comes to the floor.' 'I've already spent years repealing the loitering law,' Wiener said. 'I'm not going to be introducing the bill and having to go through that again and have all the death threats and calling me a pedophile.' Assemblymember Maggy Krell — who originally authored the legislation — plunged her house into chaos by working with Republicans to restore the stronger sentences for soliciting older teens after Democrats removed the provision. Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas then stripped the bill from Krell and gave it to Schultz, who committed to continuing discussions about the legislation as it heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee. POSTING THROUGH IT: As tensions between Trump and California have escalated, so has the intensity and, to some eyes, cringiness, of the governor's social media presence. Newsom's team this morning posted a Taylor Swift-themed Instagram reel showing Trump's Truth Social posts and photos of Newsom and the president to the soundtrack of 'You Need to Calm Down.' A Star Wars-style X post from the governor's press office account features another Truth Social post being read by a villainous-sounding voice with movie images in the background. (This newsletter writer must admit her colleagues had to tell her the voice is supposed to belong to Emperor Palpatine.) WHAT WE'RE READING TODAY — National Guard units blocked roadways near the Ronald Reagan Federal Building and Courthouse in Santa Ana on Tuesday after the city's downtown saw clashes between protesters and law enforcement. (Orange County Register) — San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie is treading lightly over Los Angeles's clash with the Trump administration, saying his priority is 'keeping San Franciscans safe.' (San Francisco Chronicle) AROUND THE STATE — The San Diego city council approved a $43.60 monthly fee for trash collection at single-family homes. (San Diego Union Tribune) — Sacramento Police Chief Kathy Lester said that she did not violate policy when she flew first-class to ten conferences in a one year period because she reimbursed the city for the difference between a coach and first-class ticket. (Sacramento Bee) — compiled by Nicole Norman

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store