Embattled Rep. Aaron Schock withdraws from SXSW appearance
Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Ill.), who has faced several weeks of critical press coverage, will no longer be speaking on a panel on millennial issues at the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival this weekend.
Schock was slated to speak alongside fellow 33-year-old Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) on a panel called “Millennials: The Unstoppable Force” at the Austin, Texas, tech confab that typically attracts big crowds.
Schock and Gabbard have often appeared together to address issues facing young adults. In 2013, they paired up in conjunction with the Millennial Action Project to form the Congressional Future Caucus.
{mosads}The two were slated to address net neutrality, jobs, criminal justice reform and technological innovation in their discussion Sunday on American millennials, typically defined as those ages 18-34.
Instead, freshman Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas) will speak on the panel alongside Gabbard, his office confirmed. Hurd, 37, represents a district in western Texas.
“Representative Schock’s office has informed us that he will no longer be participating in the panel,” David Pasch, a spokesman for Generation Opportunity, whose president is moderating the panel, told The Hill.
“We’re excited about having Rep. Hurd join us and share his perspective as one of the youngest members of Congress,” Pasch added.
“Millennials care less about party labels and blind partisanship, and care more about getting things done,” Gabbard had said in a statement announcing the panel earlier Friday.
A phone call and email requesting comment from Schock’s office was not immediately returned.
The lawmaker in recent weeks has faced a slew of questions surrounding his use of taxpayer funds and lavish tastes, starting last month with questions on his “Downton Abbey”-inspired office decorations.
As the first member of Congress born in the 1980s, Schock has built an online following with Instagram posts from exotic places, like showing his dancing skills in Argentina, and with celebrities, like rapper Jay-Z and Pope Francis.
Several other lawmakers are planning to attend the event in Texas, including likely 2016 presidential candidate Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah). Dan Pfeiffer, the former senior adviser to President Obama, is also slated to speak on a panel on breaking news.
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