Republican House moderates are fuming at House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) for kowtowing to extreme rightwing members of his caucus over his budget deal which they feel has painted them into a corner.
According to a report from Juliegrace Brufke writing for Axios, as the budget deadline approaches members of the moderate wing of the party worry they will be blamed if things fall apart because McCarthy let members of the Freedom Caucus call the shots and likely won't bend as negotiations heat up.
Add to that, the report states, members feel "blindsided" by some of the concessions McCarthy made after telling them there would be no additional changes.
According to the report, "Some House Republicans are fretting about whether they'd be able to pass a watered-down version of their debt ceiling bill once the terms are negotiated with Senate Democrats and the White House."
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The report notes that McCarthy and his lieutenants are being accused of not "tamping down" expectations of the extremists in the party which could create chaos during negotiations for the inevitable compromise bill.
Of note, Brufke wrote, "Despite the initial House GOP bill passing, several lawmakers told Axios the process has hurt their ability to move major pieces of legislation moving forward."
Among the GOP "grievances" over how things are going, Axios reports, "Multiple members said they were irritated by promises made to Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) about movement on bills related to gun control, reproductive health and cannabis laws. They also felt blindsided by changes on ethanol subsidies and work requirements for food stamps and Medicaid, despite repeatedly being told the bill wouldn't be changed."
The report notes that McCarthy has pushed back at complaints over his negotiations, claiming that alterations to his budget bills "were technical fixes to clarify certain provisions."
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