House Freedom Caucus member U.S. Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) speaks during a press conference about federal government spending on Capitol Hill in Washington, September 12, 2023.
Elizabeth Frantz | Reuters
After six months of budget impasses, emergency funding measures and near government shutdowns, Congress this weekend finalized the remaining parts of a permanent spending package for the rest of the fiscal year.
Before House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., can breathe a sigh of relief, he must face the Republican hardliners of the House Freedom Caucus.
And they have made it clear that they intend to step up their game in the Speaker’s next difficult funding battle, Ukraine.
“I can promise you, if you put a Ukraine bill on the table and you don’t have the border secured, there will be a problem in the ranks and on Capitol Hill,” Freedom Caucus Rep. Chip Roy said. R-Tx., on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday.
Johnson has already run afoul of the Freedom Caucus over its concessions to pass the budget bill and avert a government shutdown.
“I think Speaker Johnson – I’ve spoken publicly about this – made a mistake,” Roy said. “I do not believe this bill reflects the wishes of the American people.”
Roy joins a chorus of Republican hardliners who opposed the budget bill that passed the chambers of Congress in recent days. Shortly after the House voted to pass the budget bill Friday morning, hardliner Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., filed a motion to oust Johnson from his post.
Johnson took several last-minute steps to pass the budget bill before funds ran out at midnight on Friday, after which a partial government shutdown would come into effect.
For example, he violated the House’s 72-hour review rule, which provides a 72-hour window after the text of the bill is released and before a vote for lawmakers to consider proposals.
He also used an expedited voting process that required a two-thirds majority rather than a simple majority, meaning he had to get Democratic support to pass the bill.
“We famously have the smallest majority in the history of the United States,” Johnson said Thursday on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” “So yes, you inevitably have to get both parties to agree to a lot of it.”
Compromises with Democrats were one of the main grievances that led to the ouster of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. He was the first speaker to be forcibly removed.
McCarthy’s fate looms like a specter over Johnson’s time in office as he tries to balance the interests of the hardline Conservatives who elected him while making enough compromises to keep the government running.
With the budget finally agreed, it will be harder for Johnson to avoid the Ukraine funding decision.
Congress has continued to restrict funding for Ukraine that has been depleted for months. The House is currently considering a $95 billion spending proposal to provide aid to Ukraine and Israel and other war-torn regions that the Senate passed in February.
But Republicans like Roy oppose sustained aid for Ukraine’s ongoing war with Russia: “Not a single dollar should go to funding Ukraine – not a dollar – when the United States border is wide open.”
The border has become a top voting issue in the 2024 election, especially after Republicans pushed a spending package that would have provided $20 billion in border funding. Former President Donald Trump stoked Republican divisions by reportedly urging Republicans to reject the package to avoid handing Democrats a border victory this election year.
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2024-03-24 16:23:36
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