Staff Reports
The House Freedom Caucus is sounding off against the passage of the final appropriations deal, suggesting that it could spell doom for Republicans, particularly Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), as a motion to vacate looms ominously overhead.
#BREAKING: @FreedomCaucus members hint at ramifications for @SpeakerJohnson for spending deal https://t.co/fdmMDIthTQ https://t.co/fdmMDIthTQ
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) March 22, 2024
The spending deal, which was approved by the House on Friday with 112 Republicans voting against it, has ruffled the feathers of several hard-line conservatives. They’ve lashed out at Johnson and their fellow GOP members, denouncing the bill as a “not a Republican piece of legislation.”
While skirting around the issue of a potential motion to vacate, members of the House Freedom Caucus hinted that the passage of the final six appropriations bills would bring dire consequences for GOP leadership.
In a pre-vote press conference, Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) warned, “This bill, if it passes, will likely determine who controls the House of Representatives. And this bill will most certainly determine who the next speaker is.”
Ogles also alleged that House GOP leadership lacked the necessary votes to pass the legislation on Thursday night, sparking concerns that the House might fail to avert a looming government shutdown set for midnight Friday.
Previously a rare move against the chamber’s top leader, a motion to vacate has become a hot-button issue for Republicans after eight of them sided with Democrats in ousting former Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) hinted at the possibility of calling for a new speaker, adding suspense to the unfolding drama.
Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good (R-VA) refrained from addressing the prospect of a motion to vacate or a purge of GOP leadership, asserting that it was “not a personnel discussion.”
Amidst Johnson’s vigorous efforts to rally support within his conference for the spending deal, many Freedom Caucus members made it clear that those who back the bill would bear the consequences. Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) expressed frustration, stating, “There’s always an excuse for Republicans to fail.”
Furthermore, Roy cautioned that Republicans who supported the bill would be jeopardizing the party’s majority in the upcoming November elections, adamantly declaring, “Any Republican who votes for this bill, they own it, and they are the ones risking the election.”
