(DailyVantage.com) – House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is still desperately trying to unify his party around a new debt limit bill. Hard-right fiscal conservatives, however, are making life difficult.
Since Republicans have only a razor thin majority in the House, it is imperative that all members of the GOP conference are on board with changes to the debt ceiling.
Freedom Caucus types, who are notorious for their ideological opposition to establishment reforms, aren’t quite on board with the bill yet.
Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who led the GOP effort to block Kevin McCarthy’s Speakership bid in January, remains unsatisfied with the current state of the bill. “There are a number of critical details we still got to work out before making a final decision on a vote”, the Florida Congressman said.
Representative Bob Good (R-VA), another key McCarthy adversary, said that he doesn’t think there is “any way we can get to 218” if more “immediate cuts” are not made.
In a tweet , Freedom Caucus member Matt Roaendale (R-MT) wrote that “Congress can avoid raising the debt ceiling by returning federal spending to FY 2019 levels.”
While most in the House GOP conference will back whatever Speaker McCarthy proposes, this small, ideological cadre of fiscal hawks have the power to stop the bill dead in its tracks. Therefore, it is imperative that the Speaker make some considerable concessions.
McCarthy, though, remains confident. He has taken to Twitter to celebrate Republican accomplishments in their first 100 days of House control. “The People’s House”, McCarthy wrote, “is a productive House again.”
But while McCarthy has called for Congress to “stop the madness”, referencing fiscal irresponsibility by the Democrats, he has yet to unify his own party.
Republicans hope to come to a decision on the debt limit bill sometime next week.
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