Former Georgia Rep. Doug Collins warns GOP House to stick together if they want to pass legislation

Former Georgia GOP Rep. Doug Collins said it is crucial that the GOP work together in the House since they have the majority, but they will need nearly all of them to stick together when it comes to passing legislation.

He said that those 20 Republicans who held out on the Speaker vote put up a good fight and got some important concessions out of it.

"Here's my challenge to all my friends, and there are a lot of them in this Republican Party," Rep. Collins said on the "Just the News, No Noise" TV show. "You've had this fight. It's a good fight. You have the rules committee. Do those kinds of things." 

"When it gets to the floor — when it gets to appropriations bills, when it gets to other crucial things, they have to remember that 218 is the number they need," he continued. "And it can't be five or 10 people holding out because they don't like a single line in the bill."

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was elected Speaker after 15 rounds of voting. Twenty Republicans originally held out due to concerns about McCarthy's leadership, and some eventually changed their votes to support McCarthy in the end, while others just voted present.

Former Rep. Collins reminded the now GOP-controlled House that if they can't get the majority of the votes, nothing will get done and Americans will end up suffering. 

"They've got to figure out a way to get to 218 votes," he stated. "Otherwise, they're simply making YouTube speeches, and nobody gets help."

Any bills passed in the House still need support from the Democrat-controlled Senate and a signature from Democratic President Joe Biden before it can become law.