Far-Right Republicans Furious Congress Passed a Bill to Keep Gov. Open
The House of Representatives pushed through a government funding bill days before the deadline of a partial government shutdown — and some far-right Republicans are not happy.
The more than $450 billion “minibus” funding package passed the House Wednesday in a 339-85 vote, with nearly all Democrats and 132 Republicans voting in favor. Members of the far-right House Freedom Caucus voiced their consternation at the compromise.
The hardline group released a joint statement Tuesday encouraging other Republicans to vote against the spending bill, arguing it does not address GOP priorities and sacrifices the leverage they have with their House majority.
“Voting no on a complete policy surrender was simple,” Rep. Scott Perry (R-Penn.) wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Another day of Congress further indebting the American People who can barely afford the cost of living.”
In a statement, former Freedom Caucus member Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) criticized the passage of the spending bill, as well as the past usage of continuing resolutions to bypass funding deadlines.
“The spending level of today’s minibus is higher than what was agreed upon under Speaker McCarthy,” Greene said. “And this bill didn’t just increase spending, it gave Joe Biden and Chuck Schumer everything they wanted on their wish list, and that is something I’ll always refuse to vote for.”
Several Freedom Caucus members took to social media to express their discontent with what they dubbed the “#SwampOmnibus.”
“No wonder Democrats are ramming this monstrosity through before Sleepy Joe takes the stage tomorrow,” Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) quipped on X, referencing Thursday’s State of the Union address.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), the policy chairman of the Freedom Caucus, went on Fox News after the vote to criticize Republicans for bypassing spending caps “greater than Nancy Pelosi’s levels.”
“No matter what my Republican colleagues say, we continue to spend money at a greater level,” Roy said.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) also was not happy, taking a swipe at Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) for adding eight earmarks in the passed omnibus.
“No one voted to add these and no one gets to vote to take these out,” Massie tweeted. “We have gone backwards 14 years, to before the 2010 Tea Party wave.”
The “minibus” bill funds several departments, including the Department of Agriculture, Commerce, Energy, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Justice, Transportation, and Veterans Affairs. It now moves to the Senate to be passed into law. Several additional appropriations bills will need to be passed by March 22 to keep Congress afloat and avoid a government shutdown this year.
