Nancy Pelosi Dumps Mike Pence From House
Democrat Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi kicked Vice President Mike Pence from his office space in the U.S. House of Representatives.
According to a report from NPR, in 2017, former Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan gifted the vice president, who was once a representative, office space. While Pence rarely used the space, it served as a symbol of Ryan and Pence’s warm relationship, and the gesture was ceremonial. Of course, Pence and Pelosi do not share a similar situation.
Pence more often uses his office space in the U.S. Senate, where he serves as the President of the Senate. Pelosi recently had Pence’s nameplate quietly removed from the offices on the House side of the Capitol. The offices will be reassigned soon, according to an aide.
“Room assignments are reviewed and changed at the beginning of every Congress.”
Instead of Pence taking up office space in the House, Speaker Pelosi decided to award offices to the White House legislative affairs team. Under Speaker Ryan, the group did not have space. Pelosi made the changes as the 116th Congress convened. The speaker is the person who is able to assign office space and much of the real estate is highly coveted.
Speaker Pelosi Revokes Mike Pence's House Office Space
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has reclaimed office space her predecessor, Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., awarded to Vice President Mike Pence.https://t.co/mPl6Tls29d
— Ted Corcoran (RedTRaccoon) (@RedTRaccoon) March 12, 2019
Recently, Pelosi made headlines for her declaration that President Donald Trump is “not worth” impeaching, which appeared to be something that others in the Democratic party parted ways with the speaker over. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders took Pelosi’s words and her colleagues’ differences of opinions as an opportunity to point out that the speaker may not have control of the House. An NBC News report pointed out why Pelosi’s statement made good sense politically.
The speaker’s words were a jab at the president, and it’s possible that revoking the vice president’s offices could be seen as a snub of the Trump administration as well, but the office changes were more likely of a practical nature since Pence did not use the space very often.
Ultimately, Pelosi is attempting to maintain a majority in the House while also helping ensure that members who live in swing states are able to get re-elected in the upcoming 2020 election. Although plenty of House committees are looking into possible misdeeds by the president, Pelosi is at least trying to show that the House can get substantial work done instead of purely focusing on impeaching Donald Trump.
As for Pence, he has an office in the West Wing as well as a set of offices in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. Plus, he has space in the Senate. He likely won’t miss his space in the House.
