There’s an awful lot of tough talk coming from the self-described moderate Republicans, including those “Biden 18” first-termers, about how it’s going to be different now under a new speaker. Because, they say, they were responsible for Speaker Mike Johnson.
“We have to speak up,” Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer of Oregon said to Punchbowl News. “We’re a strong voice as majority makers. Now’s the time to express it with a new speaker.” Right, they’re the majority makers.
“If the conservative majority starts to feed us things that are socially conservative and messaging bills that we don’t want to sign on to, well, then they’ll get some pushback,” Rep. John Duarte said. Their track record on that front argues otherwise.
Another of the Biden district members, Rep. Mike Garcia of California, said his vote for Johnson was not a “concession to the far-right.” He clearly hasn’t done his homework on Mike Johnson. “It’s critically important we message correctly,” Garcia continued. “We have to be mindful that there are still those in swing districts that need to be able to navigate some of these issues.”
“We” doesn’t mean the same thing to Garcia as it does, say, Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, who is already laying down some markers of his own for the House under Johnson. He’ll only go along with Johnson’s plan to avert a government shutdown with a continuing resolution to fund the government until either mid-January or even mid-April if it’s not a “punt,” he told a Bloomberg reporter. It has to be like the one Roy championed back at the end of September, making whopping 30% cuts to almost every program except border security, veterans, and defense.
This will be the first big test for the self-proclaimed “majority makers,” who voted unanimously as a group to slash funding by a third for housing subsidies; nutrition assistance for pregnant women and young families; home heating assistance for low-income households and seniors on fixed incomes; Head Start programs; medical research; federal law enforcement; toxic waste site monitoring and cleanup; and Social Security Administration offices, to name a few. Is that the kind of extremism they’re going to start standing against? Because now would be a really good time to do that.
It would also be a great time for Senate Republicans to step in and help them avoid a government shutdown in 22 days. They’re thinking about it, anyway. “To pass anything, you have to get Democratic votes. You don’t have to be Einstein’s cousin to figure that one out,” Sen. John Kennedy told Punchbowl News. “I just don’t know how he’s going to handle it. [Nov.] 17 is coming, the world’s on fire, the border’s open and inflation continues to gut the American people like a fish … All this has to be addressed.”
In addition to that Nov. 17 government shutdown deadline, war is raging in Ukraine and Israel and Congress needs to respond. The Senate needs those supposedly sane House Republicans to stand up to the Putin-MAGA crowd on funding for Ukraine. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Ukraine stalwart, has already started. He called Johnson Wednesday with the message that “House and Senate Republicans need to work together on a number of urgent priorities, beginning with supplemental appropriations for a number of our national security priorities."
Johnson didn’t pick up on the “urgent” part of that: He’s sending the House away for a five-day weekend.
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“We have to speak up,” Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer of Oregon said to Punchbowl News. “We’re a strong voice as majority makers. Now’s the time to express it with a new speaker.” Right, they’re the majority makers.
“If the conservative majority starts to feed us things that are socially conservative and messaging bills that we don’t want to sign on to, well, then they’ll get some pushback,” Rep. John Duarte said. Their track record on that front argues otherwise.
Another of the Biden district members, Rep. Mike Garcia of California, said his vote for Johnson was not a “concession to the far-right.” He clearly hasn’t done his homework on Mike Johnson. “It’s critically important we message correctly,” Garcia continued. “We have to be mindful that there are still those in swing districts that need to be able to navigate some of these issues.”
“We” doesn’t mean the same thing to Garcia as it does, say, Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, who is already laying down some markers of his own for the House under Johnson. He’ll only go along with Johnson’s plan to avert a government shutdown with a continuing resolution to fund the government until either mid-January or even mid-April if it’s not a “punt,” he told a Bloomberg reporter. It has to be like the one Roy championed back at the end of September, making whopping 30% cuts to almost every program except border security, veterans, and defense.
This will be the first big test for the self-proclaimed “majority makers,” who voted unanimously as a group to slash funding by a third for housing subsidies; nutrition assistance for pregnant women and young families; home heating assistance for low-income households and seniors on fixed incomes; Head Start programs; medical research; federal law enforcement; toxic waste site monitoring and cleanup; and Social Security Administration offices, to name a few. Is that the kind of extremism they’re going to start standing against? Because now would be a really good time to do that.
It would also be a great time for Senate Republicans to step in and help them avoid a government shutdown in 22 days. They’re thinking about it, anyway. “To pass anything, you have to get Democratic votes. You don’t have to be Einstein’s cousin to figure that one out,” Sen. John Kennedy told Punchbowl News. “I just don’t know how he’s going to handle it. [Nov.] 17 is coming, the world’s on fire, the border’s open and inflation continues to gut the American people like a fish … All this has to be addressed.”
In addition to that Nov. 17 government shutdown deadline, war is raging in Ukraine and Israel and Congress needs to respond. The Senate needs those supposedly sane House Republicans to stand up to the Putin-MAGA crowd on funding for Ukraine. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Ukraine stalwart, has already started. He called Johnson Wednesday with the message that “House and Senate Republicans need to work together on a number of urgent priorities, beginning with supplemental appropriations for a number of our national security priorities."
Johnson didn’t pick up on the “urgent” part of that: He’s sending the House away for a five-day weekend.
Campaign Action
RELATED STORIES:
GOP lawmakers in Biden-won districts vote to decimate government
Ready to work? House Republicans opt for a 5 day break instead
The new Republican speaker is a gift for Democrats