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Filling in for Scalise: Who Is Rep. Patrick McHenry?

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WASHINGTON – Capitol Hill is getting back to business after the July 4th holiday but without Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., who was shot at a congressional baseball practice last month.

As he recovers in the hospital – he was released Wednesday from ICU and listed in serious condition – his duties as House Majority Whip have temporarily fallen to Chief Deputy Whip Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C.

"He's one of my closest friends here on the Hill," McHenry told CBN News. "We work closely everyday we're in session, spend multiple hours a day together everyday we're in session, so for him to be out is a real loss -- not just for our conference, not just for the Congress, but for me personally as a friend."

The Whip’s role is to build consensus among House Republicans and keep relations smooth between leaders and members. 

McHenry, in his seventh term, has a record of never voting for a tax increase.

He's also known for his passion to promote entrepreneurship, something he developed as a kid watching his dad run a small business in rural North Carolina.

Veterans are perhaps some of McHenry's biggest supporters after he spoke out against Veterans Affairs leadership under the last administration.

CBN News spoke with several lawmakers at a recent blood drive McHenry organized in honor of Scalise, all of whom spoke kindly about the fill-in Whip. 

"Well I always tease him -- he's about 5'6" -- and I always say he must have been a basketball star," said Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb. "We're going to miss Steve Scalise but we've got a good alternate filling in."

When he's not in Washington, McHenry is back in North Carolina with his wife and young daughter.

His Catholic faith is an important part of his life, something he touched on talking about Scalise.

"He's tough, he's got a wonderful spirit about him, but it was really the power of prayers and a great medical team that have taken him to this day," said McHenry. "I confess, I think it's the prayers that have done him the most good."

And McHenry needs prayer too as he takes on this new role.

When it comes to advice, he said Scalise had a few very practical words for him from his hospital bed.

"'Get the job done." 

And that's what McHenry is determined to do.

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About The Author

Jenna
Browder

Jenna Browder co-hosts Faith Nation and is a network correspondent for CBN News. She has interviewed many prominent national figures from both sides of the political aisle, including presidents, cabinet secretaries, lawmakers, and other high-ranking officials. Jenna grew up in the small mountain town of Gunnison, Colorado and graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder, where she studied journalism. Her first TV jobs were at CBS affiliates in Cheyenne, Wyoming and Monroe, Louisiana where she anchored the nightly news. She came to Washington, D.C. in 2016. Getting to cover that year's