House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has agreed to push for a $130 billion spending cut in the upcoming government funding battle in contravention of the debt limit deal struck with President Biden last month.
Mr. McCarthy consented to the cut to quell a revolt by 11 hard-line conservative lawmakers that paralyzed the House of Representatives. Upset with the speaker using Democratic votes to hike the debt ceiling past the 2024 election, the rebels blocked a slew of GOP initiatives from coming to the floor last week.
“Are House Republicans worth reelecting if they do not stand for the principles they espouse, namely, fiscal responsibility?” asked Rep. Ken Buck, a Colorado Republican who backed the blockade.
The conservative blockade went on for nearly two days, prompting Mr. McCarthy to send lawmakers home early for the weekend. Given the narrow House majority, he can lose only four GOP lawmakers on any vote before having to rely on Democrats.
In exchange for restoring order to the House, conservative lawmakers demanded that Mr. McCarthy rule out using Democratic votes to pass legislation in the future. They also demanded the $130 billion cut to government spending in the upcoming appropriations process.
Mr. McCarthy agreed to the latter. House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Kay Granger announced the decision ahead of a planned markup this week.
“By clawing back $115 billion in unnecessary, partisan programs, we will refocus government spending consistent with Republican priorities, keeping total spending 1% lower than if we were operating under a continuing resolution,” said Mrs. Granger, Texas Republican.
The move contradicts the debt limit agreement struck between Mr. McCarthy and Mr. Biden, which keeps domestic spending flat while hiking the defense budget by more than 3%. Mrs. Granger defended the move, saying the debt limit deal set a ceiling, not a floor, for government spending.
The deal let the government keep borrowing above the $31.4 trillion limit. The national debt is $31.8 trillion and rising.
The spending cut, coupled with Mr. McCarthy’s agreement to negotiate a power-sharing plan, has mollified conservative rebels into dropping their blockade.
“There’ll be more votes next week, and more rules, and if there’s not a renegotiated power-sharing agreement, then perhaps we’ll be back here next week,” said Rep. Matt Gaetz, Florida Republican. “That’s not our goal. Our goal is to continue to build off the momentum of this discussion we’ve just had.”
While Mr. McCarthy has quelled the conservatives’ ire for now, the cost has potentially set up a government shutdown.
Democrats control the White House and hold a 51-49 majority in the Senate. The party is unlikely to back a government funding bill that reneges on the spending levels set in the debt limit law.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, New York Democrat, has already said he would not accept further spending cuts than those already agreed to by Mr. McCarthy and Mr. Biden.
• Haris Alic can be reached at halic@washingtontimes.com.
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