In a slim Home Republican majority that has no scarcity of public disputes and tight votes, probably the most necessary capabilities of the Speaker’s workplace is ensuring the big variety of the members’ viewpoints are identified, heard and thought of.
That job falls largely to Courtney Butcher, Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) director of member companies.
“I view it very much as my job to make sure that he has the opportunity … that he is interfacing with a variety of different members in our conference — whether it’s geography, whether it’s ideology, whether it’s tenure in the House, chairs to rank-and-file members,” Butcher stated.
The stakes might be excessive, however Butcher burdened that no job is simply too small.
“Some days you may be talking about policy and a whip count, and ensuring members’ priorities get on the floor, or a great op-ed placed,” Butcher stated. “Other days, you are lugging catering because all of a sudden, the catering is late and you have a member dinner, and guess what, there’s no one else there to help because it’s 7:30 p.m.”
A former seventh grade instructor with greater than a decade of expertise on the Hill, Butcher joined Johnson’s workplace after he was elected to the Speakership following former Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) ouster.
The mid-Congress switch-up didn’t faze Butcher, who’s used to becoming a member of management workplaces and hitting the bottom working. She began her earlier job as member companies director of the Home Republican Convention after it changed former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) with Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) as chair.
Coping with the extreme administration of ultra-slim Home majorities is the brand new regular — however for Butcher, it has formed her understanding of the members companies position.
“I never had a 20-seat majority to fiddle with — like, ‘Oh, we can do this on the other,” Butcher stated. “This is just kind of how we do it, and how we make it work.”
