Ken Buck claims Freedom Caucus ‘fell short’ in debt limit fight.

House Freedom Caucus “Failed” in Debt Ceiling Battle, Says Rep. Ken Buck

“I think the House Freedom Caucus, with a five-vote majority in the House, still retains a lot of influence in the House. The key is that we use that influence in a way that brings us conservative results. And I think that’s what we tried to do with this case. And we failed,”

Despite being a member of the House Freedom Caucus, Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO) admits that they were unable to secure a clear conservative victory during negotiations with the White House over the debt ceiling. However, Buck emphasizes that the caucus still retains significant influence among House Republicans.

Good Cop, Bad Cop: How GOP Negotiators Handled Debt Ceiling Talks

Last week, Buck was one of the 71 Republicans who voted against the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023. Notably, more Democrats (165 votes) backed the measure than Republicans (149), a point Buck emphasized.

“This bill is a Democrat bill. It is a bill that not only avoided a default but also locked in the progressive gains that the president made in the last few years,”

The bill suspends the debt ceiling until January 2025 and could reduce the deficit by $1.5 trillion over the next 10 years, according to an estimate from the Congressional Budget Office. However, nondefense and nonveteran discretionary spending growth will be effectively kept down until 2024 before increasing by roughly 1% in 2025.

Despite some Republicans threatening to oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), Buck demurred when pressed about whether he would back that effort.

“I think there has to be a consensus in the Republican conference. I applaud Kevin McCarthy for saying he wants to bring people back together again. Let’s see if he does that in a way that involves spending responsibly in the future.”

Overall, while the House Freedom Caucus may have “failed” in the debt ceiling battle, Buck remains optimistic about their ability to bring about conservative results in the future.

Key Takeaways:

• The House Freedom Caucus was unable to secure a clear conservative victory during negotiations with the White House over the debt ceiling.
• The Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 was backed by more Democrats than Republicans.
• The bill suspends the debt ceiling until January 2025 and could reduce the deficit by $1.5 trillion over the next 10 years.
• Despite some Republicans threatening to oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Buck demurred when pressed about whether he would back that effort.

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