A group of 21 hard-line conservative House Republicans has warned that they would vote against spending bills that fail to include satisfactory cuts, in a letter addressed to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Monday.
The lawmakers expressed their concerns about appropriations bills that could lead to increased spending levels, just as Congress is set to resume on Tuesday before the August recess.
The letter emphasized the lawmakers’ expectations for baseline appropriations to match the FY 2022 level, without relying on “rescissions to increase discretionary spending above that top-line.”
“Rescissions are useful in reducing spending and we encourage their use, but we cannot support using them to shift funding to the very bureaucrats implementing the Biden agenda at roughly current levels of spending, thereby enshrining and continuing Democrats’ reckless inflationary spending,” the letter stated.
They argued that the proposed spending levels closely aligned with the cap set by the debt ceiling deal, which “was supported by more Democrats than Republicans” and was opposed by the signatories.
The lawmakers additionally urged Mr. McCarthy to withhold consideration of any appropriations measure on the House floor until the House Appropriations Committee passes all 12 annual appropriations bills. Unlike previous House speakers, Mr. McCarthy has pledged to pass all 12 regular spending bills in the House.
In addition to criticizing a previous “lame duck” omnibus spending bill, the lawmakers urged the House speaker to “publicly reject the possibility of an omnibus appropriations measure or supplemental Ukraine appropriations bill.”
Push for Clear Leadership and Spending Cuts
The lawmakers stressed their dissatisfaction with the lack of progress beyond hearings and “messaging bills that ultimately fail in the Senate.” They argued against modest spending limits, particularly in light of recent record inflationary spending levels.The signatories of the letter have the potential to derail any GOP spending measure, with Republicans holding a slim majority in the House. The lawmakers mostly consist of members of the House Freedom Caucus, led by Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), who chairs the group.
While expressing gratitude for Mr. McCarthy’s recent efforts to restore cross-conference meetings to achieve consensus on appropriations “since that debt ceiling agreement,” the lawmakers emphasized the need for leadership.
“As we already have done, we will work in good faith to offer ideas on the best ways to reduce spending, but only if combined with the leadership necessary to set the target for the whole team,” the letter stated. “For unity to exist, we must have a clear mission to actually cut the total discretionary federal bureaucracy to pre-pandemic levels and end the empowerment of President Biden’s radical woke and weaponized government.”
The conservatives have been engaging in ongoing discussions with Mr. McCarthy, pushing for baseline spending bills at FY 2022 levels. They accuse GOP leadership of resorting to “budgetary gimmicks” like rescinding already-approved funds to meet the lower spending level.
The letter further indicated that the lawmakers would consider options to address the spending crisis alongside other urgent policy changes, beyond one-year riders that are unlikely to pass the Senate or be signed by the president.
They mentioned measures such as enacting H.R. 2 to secure the border, capping or cutting the impacts of the “Inflation Reduction Act,” and restricting the president’s ability to abuse executive power to advance what they referred to as his radical agenda.
“We intend to keep the promises we made to the American people to cut federal spending, reduce the size and scope of the woke and weaponized federal bureaucracy, and ensure their security,” the letter stated. “And we stand ready to work with you to use the power of the purse to force the President to the table to work with us to make good on these promises.”
