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Majority Whip | | | | Congressman Roy Blunt serves as House Majority Whip, an elected member of the House Republican leadership.
As the Whip, Blunt is responsible for corralling votes for critical legislative initiatives, informing Members of Congress, and helping to coordinate legislative and floor strategy for the House of Representatives.
The Vote
The Whip's principle responsibility is to count heads by polling Members support of legislation in order to maintain support for the Republican leadership's position.
The Whip is responsible for building coalitions to grow the vote and for working with other party leaders to craft bills that the majority of the party can support. As such, the Whip must be in constant touch with Members, listening to their concerns, and relaying their opinions to the House Leadership.
Information
The Whip provides information to Members, so they may prepare their schedules according to the House calendar. The Whip distributes weekly and daily whip notices and an annual calendar which lists the days of the year that the House is expected to be in session.
Strategy
The Majority Whip helps to coordinate scheduling and strategy with the Speaker of the House and the House Majority Leader. The Whip is responsible for mobilizing the vote and ensuring that Members will be present on the floor for important votes.
History
The term whip is derived from the British term "whipper in", who was the person responsible for keeping the foxhounds from leaving the pack. AWhip was first used in the British House of Commons in the late eighteenth century and then in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1897, when Representative James A. Tawney (R-Minn.) was appointed whip by Speaker Thomas Reed (R-Maine) to help keep track of party Members.
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Biography | | | | House Majority Whip Roy Blunt came to the United States House of Representatives in 1997 with a background as a public servant, university president and administrator.
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Role of the Whip | | | | As the Majority Whip, Congressman Roy Blunt, performs three primary functions: mobilizing the vote on key Republican legislative objectives, providing information to Members and leadership, coordinating strategy within the House. | |
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