Freedom Caucus members pledge to reduce spending, imply repercussions for Speaker McCarthy.
House Freedom Caucus Vows to Oppose Federal Spending, Threatens McCarthy’s Leadership
Members of the House Freedom Caucus are taking a stand against continued federal spending at current levels. They are warning that Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s leadership position could be at risk if a continuing resolution (CR) to maintain current spending is passed this month.
“Green lighting a so-called clean or unqualified or blind CR is completely out of the question,” Rep. Andy Clyde (R-Ga.) said at a House Freedom Caucus press event on Sept. 19.
“It would endanger the Republican majority and endanger Speaker McCarthy’s leadership. We will not kick the can of addressing excessive government spending down the road again in order to buy the uni-party more time to produce yet another horrendous backroom deal.”
Primary Demand Not Met
Representative Clyde and others expressed frustration with McCarthy’s failure to fulfill the primary demand made by hardliners in exchange for their support during his bid for leadership in January: cutting spending.
“We talked about reducing spending. That was a part of the agreement,” Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) said. “We all know that we talked about it publicly. We haven’t done that. Period. Full stop. We haven’t done what we agreed to do.”
Representative Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), who is not a member of the House Freedom Caucus, issued a more explicit warning, stating that using Democrats to pass legislation opposed by a majority of Republicans would violate the deal made with McCarthy and could trigger a motion to vacate his position.
Working Towards a Better Future
Despite the tensions, Representative Roy chose to focus on the challenges facing the country and the need to find a path forward.
“Right now, we’re here presenting what we believe is the right path forward to make sure this country is actually saved from deficits, from wide open borders, from a woke military, and a [Department of Justice] that’s weaponized against the American people,” Mr. Roy said.
“And if Democrats don’t want to work with us on that, if some of our Republican colleagues don’t want to work with us on that, that’s on them to figure out what’s going to happen on Oct. 1,” he said, referring to a possible government shutdown when the fiscal year ends on Sept. 30.
Time Running Out
With the end of the fiscal year approaching, Republican hardliners are growing increasingly frustrated with McCarthy’s perceived reneging on their deal and the potential blame they may face for a government shutdown.
Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) summarized the situation, highlighting the lack of transparency and opportunity for input in the legislative process.
“A small handful of appropriators will write something up with a push from the law firm of Schumer, McConnell, McCarthy, and Jeffries,” Mr. Lee said, referring to congressional leaders Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) in addition to Mr. McCarthy.
“It will materialize–Shazam! Here you go–from out of nowhere. It is usually with just a few hours to go. You’ve got to pass this thing, and if you don’t, there’ll be a shutdown. If there’s a shutdown, we will blame you for that, but vote how you want. You will have no opportunity to amend this, you will have no opportunity to read it, to understand what’s in it, to share it with your constituents, to object to it, to improve it to comment on it,” Mr. Lee said.
Fighting for the People’s House
Representative Clyde emphasized the need to continue the fight against overspending and to restore the people’s voice in the legislative process.
“Back in January, we fought to fundamentally alter the way this institution works. We fought to restore the people’s House,” Mr. Clyde said, saying that the fight must continue to stop overspending.
Other members of the House Freedom Caucus echoed the sentiment, expressing their desire to rein in government abuses of power through responsible spending.
“We’re here to put our foot down and say to this place, right here, it stops now,” Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.)
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