On the surface, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has reason to be pleased. He and his team negotiated a budget deal with the White House; they extorted some Democratic concessions; and their legislation appears on track to pass the GOP-led House today, after clearing the Rules Committee late yesterday. The plan — which includes avoiding a catastrophic default — appears to be on track.
But just below the surface, the California Republican has a related problem that won’t be resolved by the passage of a bill.
Members of the House’s most far-right contingent, the House Freedom Caucus, were under the impression that they were driving the debt ceiling process. It was, after all, their radical plan that passed the chamber last month, and McCarthy reportedly told this faction that he’d fight to secure their regressive priorities.
As the Fiscal Responsibility Act advances, and the Freedom Caucus realizes that practically all of its goals were discarded during the bipartisan negotiations, these House Republicans are not content to simply vote against the bill. Politico reported yesterday:
Conservative angst over the debt deal is threatening to trigger Kevin McCarthy’s biggest fear — a push to oust him from the speakership. Rep. Dan Bishop (R-N.C.) on Tuesday became the first House conservative to explicitly state he is considering a push to strip McCarthy of the gavel over his recent deal with President Joe Biden.
Asked if he’s prepared to use procedural tactics to force a vote on McCarthy’s future, the North Carolina Republican told Politico, “Absolutely. It is inescapable to me. It has to be done.”
He appears to have some company within the GOP conference. Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado broached the subject during a House Freedom Caucus conference call yesterday, and told NBC News yesterday that he raised the possibility “as a result of a broken promise.”
Rep. Scott Perry, the contingent’s current chair, didn’t explicitly endorse moving against McCarthy,…
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