EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – House Republicans have tapped a freshman West Texas congressman to leadership roles.
Minority Whip Steve Scalise earlier this month picked Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, assistant whip for the 117th Congress. The position involves serving as floor leader and mobilizing votes within the party on key issues.
Gonzales has been rallying support for the Hyde Amendment, a rule banning the use of federal funds to pay for abortion that the new Democratic House majority wants overturned. He’s also condemned President Biden’s new drilling ban on federal land, which he says will result in the loss of oil and gas industry jobs.
House party leaders also named Gonzales to the Republican Study Committee, which is the conservative caucus that prioritizes the legislative agenda.
“I appreciate the Republican Study Committee seeing early on that I will champion conservative policies for my district,” said Gonzales, who represents the 23rd District of Texas that includes Far East El Paso County. “I’m ready to work with them on enacting productive, conservative legislation to shrink government and bolster our military.”
Earlier, Republicans selected Gonzales to the House Appropriations Committee, which oversees federal government spending. On Friday, he was also assigned to the subcommittees on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and related agencies under the House Appropriations Committee.
“After Republican gains in the House, the 117th Congress is historically close and our unity as a party will be more important than ever. Tony is well-liked and respected by his colleagues and I expect him to make a big impact as we fight to get our economy back on track and retake the House,” Scalise, R-La., said.
Gonzales, who defeated Democrat Gina Ortiz Jones in November, served in the Navy including in deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. He retired with the rank of Master Chief Petty Officer.
