It was only a matter of time before Kevin McCarthy returned to his establishment RINO ways.
But this time House conservatives aren’t going to take the betrayal lying down.
And now Kevin McCarthy is shaking in his boots after the House Freedom Caucus demanded retribution for this massive betrayal.
The House Freedom Caucus sent a shot across the bow of Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CAO by refusing to approve the rules for debate over a pair of Republican-sponsored bills.
The first time in two decades
While the bills in question are solid conservative bills on their face, House conservatives used the opportunity to show Speaker McCarthy their strength and resolve.
And there is no doubt the conservative Members of Congress got their point across.
NBC reported that the 220-206 vote to reject the rules was “stunning” to “longtime lawmakers and reporters who have not seen a rule vote — a procedural measure typically widely supported by the majority party — go down in more than two decades.”
But as it turns out, House Conservatives weren’t just sending McCarthy a warning – they were letting him know his heavy-handed ruling class elitist ways will not be tolerated.
With the Speaker needing almost every GOP vote to pass any legislation, he’s taking notice.
The conservative Members said they had good reasons for voting down the rule on the two bills.
They claimed the revolt was caused not just by the debt ceiling sellout, but also the way in which McCarthy handled it.
Congressman Andrew Clyde (R-GA), who voted against the McCarthy-supported rule on the debt ceiling deal the Speaker unilaterally reached with President Joe Biden, was told a bill he sponsored to support pistol-stabilizing braces would not come to the floor this week as a form of punishment for his opposition.
Congress is broken
So House conservatives let their displeasure be known.
Congresswoman Lauren Boebert (R-CO) made it clear that conservative anger over the debt deal is still palpable.
“We fought for every member to have representation, every member to be empowered to represent their constituents and that was stripped from us last week with this debt ceiling deal,” Boebert told Fox News. “It was a closed rule. We were not allowed to offer amendments. We didn’t even have the ability to give voice to this legislation.”
“This is what we fought for in January,” she continued. “We were serious when we did it. We said Congress is broken and we want fundamental changes to this place.”
And Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-FL) said he and other conservatives who voted to block the rule from advancing are “frustrated at the way this place is operating.”
“We took a stand in January to end the era of the imperial speakership,” Gaetz told Fox News. “We’re concerned that the fundamental commitments that allowed Kevin McCarthy to assume the speakership have been violated as a consequence of the debt limit deal.”
“The answer for us is to reassert House conservatives as the appropriate coalition partner for our leadership instead of them making common cause with Democrats,” he continued. “We’re not going to live in a system where our members are subjected to this type of petty punishment. And we’re not going to live in a system where our constituents are left abandoned by anyone here in the Congress.”
Congressman Dan Bishop (R-NC) said that while there is a conversation taking place about bringing forth a motion to force a vote that could remove Speaker McCarthy from his position, no action is planned just yet, according to Politico.
“But the problem that has been precipitated entirely by the speaker’s approach to the debt ceiling is going to have to be dealt with,” Bishop told Politico.
“It was an issue dealing with a member who was being threatened. So I sent a clear message,” Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) said.
The 11 Republicans who voted against the rule for the gas stoves legislation proved that, at least for now, Speaker Kevin McCarthy has a major problem on his hands.
US Political Daily will keep you updated on any developments to this ongoing story.
