House Conservatives Tank Procedural Vote in Rebellion Against Spending Deal with Democrats
A group of House conservatives rebelled against the spending deal struck by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) with Democrats, leading to the tanking of a procedural vote on Wednesday. The rebellion was fueled by sharp criticism from members of the right flank, with 13 Republicans joining with Democrats to vote against the rule for a trio of bills, preventing the chamber from debating and voting on the measures.
The final tally was 203-216, leading Republican leadership to cancel an afternoon vote series following the revolt. The show of opposition came just days after Johnson unveiled a deal on topline spending numbers for the remainder of fiscal year 2024, which conservatives have railed against for not cutting spending enough.
The agreement, largely in line with the caps set in the debt limit deal struck with President Biden last year, includes a $1.59 trillion topline, plus roughly $69 billion in budget tweaks to increase nondefense dollars for most of fiscal year 2024. It also includes additional cuts to IRS mandatory funding and a clawback of unspent COVID-19 funds.
Conservative Republican Reps. Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Bob Good (Va.), Chip Roy (Texas), Ralph Norman (S.C.), Anna Paulina Luna (Fla.), Matt Rosendale (Mont.), Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), Scott Perry (Pa.), Eric Burlison (Mo.), and Andy Ogles (Tenn.) were among those who opposed the procedural vote.
Votes on rules are typically mundane efforts, with the majority party supporting the vote and the minority party opposing it. However, conservatives this Congress have utilized the tactic of torpedoing rules to showcase their frustration with various decisions made by leadership.
When asked if conservatives will continue to tank rules as a sign of opposition against Johnson’s spending deal, Good said, “my hope is to persuade the Speaker and the leadership and the entire Republican conference to not follow through with the deal as it’s been announced.”
The rebellion comes as Congress is facing shutdown deadlines on Jan. 19 and Feb. 2.Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.