Congressman Anthony D'Esposito says the Republican Party is not in chaos

If there is one thing Republican Congressman Anthony D’Esposito wants his constituents to know, it is that there is still someone on Capital Hill with the tenacity and understanding of what the 4th Congressional District needs, a district that includes the Five Towns.

“I was sent to Washington D.C. to work and to govern,” the Island Park native said. “That has been exactly what I’ve been doing since I’ve been sworn in.”

But during his last trip in Washington, D’Esposito was part of a historic moment as Kevin McCarthy of California was removed from the House speaker position on Oct. 3, a motion made by fellow Republican Matt Gaetz of Florida. The motion to vacate passed with 216 to 210 votes.

“The fact that one rolled member of our conference joined forces with seven others (Republicans) and every single Democrat in the House of Representatives for the first time in our history to vacate the chair of the Speaker of the House is not good for the American people,” D’Esposito said. “It is not good for our institution and us as a governing body.”

The motion came after McCarthy leaned toward Democratic support for a short-term bill to keep the government open through mid-November, avoiding a shutdown.

It took 15 rounds in January for McCarthy to be elected as speaker, where he agreed to multiple concessions, including one that allowed any member to put forward a motion to vacate his speakership at any time.

All four of Long Island’s Republican congressmen supported McCarthy, including Andrew Garbarino, Nick LaLota and George Santos.

D’Esposito said the motion made by Gaetz was fueled by a personal vendetta against McCarthy.

“The fact that Matt Gaetz was utilizing rules in order to take out personal issues is not what the rules of the House should be used for,” he said. “That’s not what our governing bodies should be used for.”

The seven other Republicans who joined Gatez were Andy Biggs (Arizona), Ken Buck (Colorado), Tim Burchett (Tennessee), Eli Crane (Arizona), Bob Good (Virginia), Nancy Mace (South Carolina) and Matt Rosendale (Montana).

When D’Esposito was in law enforcement he worked primarily in a team-based atmosphere, he said. Many of his partners had different color skins, religious beliefs and political ideologies, but looking past that, they worked together to get the job done.

As a congressman he said he brought that style to D.C.

“I think law enforcement, especially the NYPD, has been one of the greatest educations for me serving this role in government and politics,” he said. “It gives you the ability to read people, to understand what people are saying, to communicate and work with people that you normally wouldn’t get to work with.”

“Shambles,” “Dysfunctional,” and “Out of control” read the headlines read across news outlets in describing the GOP. However, D’Esposito said that it’s a small group. He stressed that there are people who are still working for their constituents.

“When people try to comment that the Republican Party is in chaos, there is a small group of individuals who are causing chaos,” he said. “Our conference is not chaos, but when the smoke clears, there are individuals, especially me, who still has his sleeves rolled up and is still working tremendously hard to deliver for the people of this district.”

As of press time, a new speaker is yet to be chosen. GOP members Jim Jordan and Steve Scalise were the frontrunners for the post. Democrats remain solidly supportive of current Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.