Indiana Republican: House to be last line of defense against Biden

An Indiana congressman expects House Republicans to regroup from last week's election disappointments to work to block President Joe Biden's policies.

"We have an opportunity over the next two years to be the last line of defense to block the Biden agenda," Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.).

Neither party has clinched a majority in the House as of yet. As of Sunday morning, Republicans had won 211 seats; they will need 218 for a majority, and Democrats still have a path to victory.

But speaking to host Shannon Bream on "Fox News Sunday," Banks said he expects Republicans will ultimately prevail and obtain a slim House majority.

"This was a very disappointing outcome on election night, not the one that we expected," Banks said. "There will be a lot of unpacking of the outcome for weeks to come. Did we have the wrong strategy? Why did our message not break through? Why did the voters not buy into the vision and the message that Republicans were selling?"

Banks, the Republican Study Committee chair, pushed back on an assertion by Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) that Republicans would be foolish to focus too much on investigations into the Biden administration instead of attempting to pass legislation and address the nation's problems.

It is, Banks said, "the responsibility of the Congress to provide oversight. I believe that the American people, not just those on the right, they expect Congress to step up to the plate and provide that type of accountability. It is desperately needed."

He cited the troubled U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 as something that needed to be investigated.

Banks also said he would support House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy for speaker if, as he expects, Republicans win a majority in the House.

"I support Kevin McCarthy and his experience," he said.