GOP Leaders Press Members to Pony Up to NRCC
House Republican leaders on Tuesday pleaded with their Members to pony up to the National Republican Congressional Committee so the party will be fully prepared to fight for seats next fall.
While Minority Leader John Boehner (Ohio), NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions (Texas), NRCC Vice Chairman Greg Walden (Ore.) and Rep. Jeb Hensarling (Texas) did not threaten Members during the closed-door meeting of the Republican Conference at the Capitol Hill Club, they reminded them that winning back the majority is a team effort, according to several GOP sources inside the meeting.
“We can come all the way back if we work together,— Sessions said.
“Stop complaining about [Speaker Nancy] Pelosi and unseat Pelosi,— Walden told Members, according to two sources.
After the GOP leaders spoke, aides handed out envelopes to Members who had not met their “NRCC assessment for 2009— — a combination of Member dues and fundraising requirements for the party’s March and June dinners.
The NRCC declined to say how many Members have yet to fulfill their financial commitment to the campaign committee, but one source in the room said a substantial number received the envelope.
Republican membership dues are $25,000 for leadership and ranking committee members, and $15,000 for rank-and-file lawmakers.
Unlike the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which sets fundraising goals for the two-year cycle, the NRCC divides its Member ask into annual goals.