The Senate Conservatives Fund says that it is time for House Speaker John Boehner to go and they will keep track of the GOP lawmakers that support their effort to oust him from his leadership post.
The group, which is targeting several incumbent Republicans in primary races this year, said Mr. Boehner, Ohio Republican, has sold out small government principles on too many occasions and the last straw came this week when House GOP leaders signaled they were going to support a bill to increase the nation’s borrowing limit without attaching any strings to reduce spending.
“There’s only one solution. John Boehner must be replaced as Speaker of the House,” said Matt Hoskins, group’s executive director.
“Conservatives helped Republicans win a majority in the House of Representatives, which made it possible for John Boehner to become speaker. Unfortunately, he has chosen to ignore us and help President Obama enact his liberal agenda.”
Mr. Hoskins said Republicans should block him from the position at the beginning of the next Congress.
Mr. Boehner said Tuesday that he is preparing to move forward on the first no-strings-attached debt increase of his tenure as speaker.
SEE ALSO: Boehner: GOP’s reversal on debt is ‘disappointing moment’
The announcement came after Mr. Boehner and his leadership team tried — and failed — to get rank-and-file Republicans to sign off a deal that would increase the nation debt limit and restore future cuts in the cost-of-living adjustments on military retirement pay that were included in the December budget deal.
The Senate Conservatives Fund, which is dedicated to electing “true conservative leaders” and was founded by former South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint, is now urging its supporters to sign a “Replace the Speaker” petition.
“Republicans must know that conservatives expect them to make a change at the top, and we’re not going to give up on this until John Boehner is gone,” Mr. Hoskins said. “It’s sad that it has come to this, but enough is enough. We will never stop the massive spending and debt that are destroying our country if the Republican speaker of the House surrenders to the Democrats and stabs conservatives in the back.”
SCF joins ForAmerica, Tea Party Patriots and Freedomworks in calling for Mr. Boehner to be removed from the chamber’s top post.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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