Pence gets a House homecoming
Mike Pence came home to Capitol Hill.
He served a dozen years in the House of Representatives before leaving to become Indiana’s governor in 2012. But on Thursday, a triumphant Pence returned to the Capitol for the first time as vice president-elect.
{mosads}Pence received several standing ovations from jubilant House Republicans as he entered HC-5, the conference room in the basement of the Capitol where the GOP conference holds its weekly meetings.
There were handshakes, hugs and well-wishes for the new Trump administration as a phalanx of Secret Service and Capitol Police officers looked on. The congressional delegation from the Hoosier State made sure to get a photo with their governor and new vice president-elect.
“It was a homecoming for Mike Pence,” said Rep. Dennis Ross (R-Fla.). “He was very well-received. It was almost spiritual seeing what we’ve been through for the last eight years under Obama.
“So it was just a very, very upbeat meeting.”
As vice president, Pence will assume a formal role as president of the Senate. But in his opening remarks, the former House GOP Conference chairman quipped to his old colleagues: “You know where my heart is.”
After huddling with House Republicans, Pence will hold a one-one-one meeting with Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), a close friend with whom he served in the House for 12 years.
Pence will hold similar meetings with Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and incoming Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.).
During his gathering with House Republicans, Pence touched on the Trump administration’s 100-day and 200-day plans. But he didn’t get into the details, leaving a few members grumbling as they left.
“No specifics,” said Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.) as he exited the meeting when asked about the two plans. “Nope.”
No lawmakers pressed the vice president-elect about numerous reports this week of the Trump transition team, led by Pence, being in a state of disarray.
“For the most part, he was just bringing a word of encouragement to his friends, his roots in this place. “He said he would keep the same cell number,” said Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), a Trump supporter whose name has been floated as a possible Energy secretary in the new administration.
“It is clear that he is going to be a very important conduit to the House,” Cramer continued. “His affection for the institution, his personal relationship with the Speaker was probably the core of much of his message today.”
At one point, Pence told lawmakers that Trump had asked President Obama to reassure European allies this week that the new president-elect “believes strongly” in the NATO alliance. Trump has previously suggested the U.S. could pull out of NATO.
Obama met with Chancellor Angela Merkel in Germany on Thursday, the first stop on his global farewell tour.
Pence also told lawmakers that the Trump team was “in sync” with congressional Republicans’ plan for a short-term stopgap measure to fund the government through March 2017, several people in the meeting said.
“Speaker Ryan told the GOP conference that in consultation with the incoming Trump administration, it was determined that a CR into March is the best approach,” Ryan spokeswoman AshLee Strong said.
Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), who was elected to the House the same year as Pence, said seeing the vice president-elect back in the GOP’s conference room was a “spectacular moment.”
“It’s literally ‘hometown boy goes off, makes good, comes back home.’ We were all pretty excited to see him,” Cole told reporters.
Sarah Ferris contributed.
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