IN WASHINGTON – In a meeting behind closed doors on Wednesday, the call to punish a few of the most conservative lawmakers in the House started up again. Some Republicans were angry that their colleagues were continuing to mess up the lower house and the agenda of GOP leaders.
During the open mic time at a weekly Republican meeting, Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, called out the House Freedom Caucus by name. The Freedom Caucus is made up of very conservative politicians who have often gotten in the way of spending deals, foreign aid, and other important bills.
A lot of House Republicans need “discipline and structure,” Miller said after the meeting. He said that Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., who is in charge of the group, and other right-wing conservatives should be punished for breaking the rules. The Ohio politician suggested taking them off of their committees or not letting them raise money for campaigns.
“No one here is unique.” And I believe that everyone in Congress needs to hear over and over that they don’t always matter. Because they have big egos sometimes and think the world is just for them,” Miller told USA TODAY after the meeting.
Miller also said that top Republican leaders were giving in to the GOP rebels and asked why Good seemed to get more time to speak than other members.
“I’m going to say it. Bob Good gets the mic and has about five minutes to talk while everyone else only gets one. Why is that?” Miller told me. “I think it’s because, for some reason, people in power are afraid of him.” No, I’m not, that’s why I called him out.”
In reaction to Miller’s suggestions for punishments, Good told USA TODAY that the idea that he was given more time to speak “is silly” and added, “good luck with having a majority” in Congress.
Since Republicans took control of the House last year, politicians on the right have often annoyed their fellow Republicans for having too much power. The Republicans’ razor-thin majority in the House gives them even more power.
Ultraconservatives in the House and the rest of the party were very angry with each other last year when only eight GOP officials voted with Democrats to fire former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. As Republicans argued for weeks over who should be speaker, the House was essentially paralyzed. At the same time, calls grew to punish the members who voted to fire McCarthy.
Miller’s public call shows that these problems haven’t gone away since October, and they might get worse as conservatives air their complaints over the latest fight over government spending.
Members of the House Freedom Caucus are angry at House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and the GOP leader over how they handle government funding since Johnson announced earlier this month that he and Democrats would agree to spend money without a fight.
Conservatives were angry about Johnson’s move because they didn’t agree with a side deal and thought the extra government spending wasn’t needed. Because of this, members of the Freedom Caucus voted against a routine vote last week that would have stopped all work on the House floor.
But they were still not done. After that, those same conservative politicians put a lot of pressure on Johnson to back out of the deal he made with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. After the speaker said he was sticking to the agreement, those attempts were pointless.
Right now, GOP members who are not part of the Freedom Caucus are telling their peers that they should stop wasting time and follow the leaders that the whole conference chose.
“Some people come to town to make things right. When asked about the relationship between the Freedom Caucus and the rest of the party, Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., told USA TODAY, “Some people come to town to burn it down.”
The Republican from Montana used to be a Navy SEAL and leader. He talked about his time in the military and said that members of the far right need to be more realistic about their demands since Democrats run the Senate and the White House.
“From the point of view of a leader. We’re not in charge of the field. The Senate is not here. We don’t have the management. Zinke said, “We have power, but we can only use it if we work together.”
If you ask Zinke if he thinks members who cause trouble should be punished, he will say that being at the meeting “is a privilege, not a right.”
Rep. John Rutherford, R-Fla., also said that the rowdy conservatives “ought to be punished” for their silly behavior. Rutherford said that Democrats are better at settling for small wins in talks, while hardline conservatives “want 100% of everything, which is ridiculous.” Because all you get in the end is a bunch of nothing.”
Just like in football, they want to throw a hail mary pass every play. “That’s not how you win baseball games,” he said.
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