“It is an honor to be part of this team in the 114th Congress,” Sen. Coats said in a press release. “I look forward to working with my colleagues on important legislation to address the challenges America faces.”
The whip, or “enforcer,” as it is often referred to instead, is the position within a political party that is responsible for enforcing discipline within Congress.
In addition to Sen. Coats, the Senate Republican Whip Team has 10 other members, including Sen. John Cornyn from Texas, Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C. and Sen. David Vitter, R-La.
Coats has been a representative of Indiana in the United States Congress since 1980, when he was elected and served as a house representative for Indiana’s 4th district until 1989, when he assumed the position of Indiana senator until 1998.
He chose not to run for re-election in 1998 but in 2010 he was re-elected to the position of Indiana senator. His current term will end in 2017.
Since Coats began to represent Indiana, he has run on a platform to lower taxes, reduce federal spending and reform entitlement programs such as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.
In addition to being a member of the Senate Republican Whip Team, Coats serves on the Senate Finance, Select Intelligence and Joint Economic ?committees.
