Boehner announces House delegation to Margaret Thatcher funeral
Tennessee Republican Rep. Marsha Blackburn will lead a House delegation to Britain to attend the funeral of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher on Wednesday.
Announced by House Speaker John Boehner’s office Monday, the trip marks a culmination of Republican accolades for Thatcher following her death last week. Thatcher’s conservative policies and close relationship with President Reagan won her widespread support within the GOP.
“Margaret Thatcher was one of the greatest champions freedom has ever known, and her funeral gives Americans and friends around the world an opportunity to pay final respects,” Boehner said in a statement.
The delegation also includes Reps. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) and George Holding (R-N.C.).
PHOTOS: Margaret Thatcher | 1925 - 2013
Bachmann has long expressed her respect for Thatcher, going so far as to proclaim in an interview last year with USA Today that “I want to be America’s Margaret Thatcher. I will be the next Iron Lady.”
“Not only was Margaret Thatcher a role model for conservative women across the globe, but she was also one of the most consequential political leaders of our time,” Bachmann said in a statement announcing her role in the delegation.
The representatives will travel to Britain on commercial flights, a result of Boehner’s post-sequestration ban on House members using military flights.
Thatcher’s funeral is to begin with a procession running through central London, concluding with services at St. Paul’s Cathedral.
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