Hard-line conservatives demand concessions from House Speaker McCarthy in debt-ceiling standoff
Hard-line conservatives angered by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s debt-ceiling deal are demanding power-sharing and budget-cutting concessions.
Hard-line conservatives angered by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s debt-ceiling deal are demanding power-sharing and budget-cutting concessions from him in exchange for allowing legislation to move on the House floor.
In agreeing Monday to temporarily lift a nearly week-long blockade of the House floor, some of the lawmakers threatened to stall business again if McCarthy doesn’t meet their demands.
“I think everybody’s attitude into the room was how do we move forward,” McCarthy said.
“I think you will see an agreement in the next few days,” said Representative Bob Good, a Virginia Republican among the 11 dissidents who initiated the blockade. Representative Matt Rosendale of Montana, another protester, said the House “will be functioning this week.”
The ultra-conservatives have been angered by the compromise McCarthy forged with President Joe Biden to avert a US debt default. They want deeper cuts in government spending.
Representative Matt Gaetz suggested that even if the hard-liners permit the House to resume business, tensions remain.
“Trust is a serious problem,” Gaetz said.
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Their blockade marked the first time in more than two decades that a speaker had been unable to muster the votes for a procedural step to begin debate on a bill on the House floor, according to C-Span. McCarthy eventually gave up on votes and sent lawmakers home for the week.
The narrow 222-212 House GOP majority McCarthy oversees enables as few as five Republican lawmakers to sabotage a measure on a party-line vote.
