WASHINGTON – House conservatives are furious over the government funding bill being debated by Speaker Mike Johnson. swam through Congress last weekcalling it a betrayal of Republican promises to cut spending and reshape the federal budget.
But this time, they’re not threatening to oust the man responsible for cutting funding deals with the Democratic-led Senate and the White House, but have begun to paint him as a functionary of status quo politics.
House Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Goode, R-Va., blasted the first of the two funding packages and said he doesn’t expect a better deal on the second, which must pass by March 22 to avoid a partial government shutdown.
“Because the speaker does not want to do it. He just wants to pass what the Senate wants so we can avoid any conflict,” Goode told NBC News, adding that Johnson, R-La., is calling on Dems to “increase spending” and provide “no policy.” wants to “hand in hand with”. wins”.
“The speaker doesn’t want to say no to the Senate,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what we offer.”
When asked what the right wing could do about it, Good didn’t offer a solution, saying, “I’m open to ideas.”
When asked exactly if it is included here motion to vacate Goode, one of eight Republicans using the tool to oust former Speaker Kevin McCarthy for the speaker’s seat, ended the conversation. “Thank you,” he replied.
A shift in thinking shows this reality sits For a group of fiery thugs entering the new Republican majority with high expectations of bending Congress to their will. Members on the right continue to believe that a small GOP majority in the House of Representatives can force the Democratic-led Senate and the White House to accept their wishes, but they are slowly realizing that many of their Republican colleagues do not support aggressive spending cuts. they want And they are beginning to doubt that any speaker can change that.
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, a Freedom Caucus member and right-wing thought leader on fiscal policy, said the newly passed government funding bill is “more of the same games, a lot of smoke and mirrors.” And he predicted the next bills would be similarly “rubbish.”
“It’s business as usual,” Roy said, despite some “modest steps” toward a more normal process for drafting bills.
But when asked if he blamed Johnson, Roy said, “I think the speaker reflects a conference that likes to talk about fiscal restraint and refuses to act on it. I think so.”
As for the motion to quit? Roya does not go there: “I think that this is a tool that should always be on the table as a historical issue. I think it should be used sparingly. … I think we just have to keep moving forward to try to get somewhere.”
Troy Nehls, a staunch ally of President Donald Trump from Texas, was more blunt about why Johnson’s job is not in jeopardy during his State of the Union address, wearing a T-shirt bearing the former president’s trophy: Nobody wants that.
“Let’s go to Disney and see if Daffy Duck or maybe Goofy might want the job,” Nehls said. “Maybe Mickey! Maybe Mickey would want that job.”
Rep. Ralph Norman, RS.C., another Freedom Caucus member, did not accuse Johnson of spending what he called “irresponsible” bills and said a discharge proposal was not on the table.
“He inherited a lot of it. No, I don’t blame him,” Norman said. “It’s like herding cats here.”
McCarthy, R-Calif., passed one short-term government funding bill as speaker, and the far-right picked up his gavel within days. His successor, Johnson, passed three interim bills and a major appropriations package that did not match their requirements.
Norman said the two situations are different because McCarthy and Johnson operate differently.
“McCarthy had a lot of other problems besides that. He would tell us something over the top and then he would have side deals. This was not correct. Johnson, to his credit, doesn’t,” Norman said.
Not much has changed since Johnson replaced McCarthy, starting with the recently passed spending bill, Roy said.
“We know it will cost more than money [Nancy] The Pelosi omnibus,” Roy said. “And all these little cuts, like the FBI — it was a building in Alabama!”
The FBI faces a 6% reduction from 2023. But almost all of that comes from the “construction” portion of the budget, which sources said was previously boosted by retiring Senate Vice Speaker Richard Shelby, R-Ala. for a project in his homeland. Only 0.3% is being cut from the FBI’s core “salary and expenses” budget.
“There are no cuts,” Roy said. “Just admit it!”
Democrats are pleased to see Johnson on the side of his conference majority and opposing the far right on government funding.
“I think people understood that you came here to rule. We come here to do business for the American people,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., the top ranking House Democrat.
They say he should do the same Aid to Ukraine and allow a bipartisan bill to come up.
“The speaker said that the House should do it. If the House wants to do that, we have a security package that he can put in place,” he said. “Okay? Let’s vote.”
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., was He threatened to remove Johnson from office he called it “absolutely forbidden” to withdraw the funding for Ukraine if he brought it to the floor of the House of Representatives. But he has since sought to clarify his threat, saying it would only apply if he brought it up Senate bill containing funding for Ukraine and border security.
“This was not an isolated threat to the financing of Ukraine,” he said.