House Republicans are not happy.
In a forthright statement, Representative Chip Roy of Texas, a Republican, issued a stern warning to Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana, expressing that the possibility of filing a motion to remove the House Republican leader is not to be dismissed. During an appearance on “The Steve Deace Show” on Tuesday, Roy emphasized that while he hasn’t committed to filing the motion immediately, it remains a viable option. He stressed the need for Johnson to recognize the discontent within the party and called for a constructive dialogue to address the concerns.
Notably, Roy, who did not participate in the October removal of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, has been vehemently opposing Johnson’s recent agreement with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to fund the government. He criticized the funding bill, which essentially follows commitments made by McCarthy and President Biden during negotiations on raising the debt ceiling, labeling it as “garbage.” Roy dismissed Johnson’s assurance of negotiating conservative policy victories in future spending bills.
The agreement in question establishes a statutory limit of $1.59 trillion for discretionary government funding but also honors an additional $69 billion side-deal between McCarthy and Biden. Despite Johnson’s announcement of securing an extra $16 billion in cuts for the current fiscal year, Roy remains skeptical of the overall impact. He expressed doubts about the feasibility of achieving substantial policy victories through spending riders to counterbalance the increased expenditure.
While Johnson maintains a conservative stance and acknowledges the less-than-ideal nature of the deal, he remains optimistic about the potential for policy wins down the line. However, Roy insisted that he would reconsider his position if significant policy victories were indeed achieved through the spending bills. The disagreement underscores internal divisions within the Republican party regarding fiscal policies and priorities.