'We Intend To Keep The Promises We Made': Conservative Firebrands Take A Stand Against McCarthy, Vow To Block His Spending Bills If Changes Aren't Made

Conservatives in the House are putting their foot down and warning House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) that they will not be voting in support of any appropriations bills this year that don’t show an actual effort to trim down on the excessive spending of the Biden administration. 

The 21 members sent a letter on Monday to the Speaker of the House warning him of the potential conflict that could come if he does not properly reflect their wishes. Per the DC Enquirer, McCarthy previously failed to make notable trims to the budget when negotiating the debt ceiling back in May, meaning this time they’ll be even more adamant about it. 

"We cannot support appropriations bills that will produce a top-line discretionary spending level barely below the bloated FY 2023 level… and effectively in line with the cap set by the debt ceiling deal that we opposed and was supported by more Democrats than Republicans," the letter read, according to Fox News. 

The notice made it clear that a deal like the one he made before would not be good enough to garner total GOP support whenever the upcoming spending bills arrive, undoubtedly stirring concerns in McCarthy. The layout of the House is a fairly close one, with Ballotpedia showing that there are 222 Republicans to 212 Democrats (with one vacancy), making the 21 votes all the more important.

"Americans expect House Republicans to lead in divided government to achieve tangible results. They do not care about unity absent unity of purpose and achievement. They expect us to go beyond the theater of hearings, messaging bills that die in the Senate, or very modest spending limits in the wake of record inflationary spending levels," they wrote in the letter. 

"For unity to exist, we must have a clear mission to actually cut the total discretionary federal bureaucracy to pre-pandemic levels and end the empowerment of President Biden’s radical woke and weaponized government," it continued. 

If McCarthy were to lose the support of even half of the conservatives that wrote the letter he would need to rely on Democrats to pass the bill, comprising the dealings of the bill even more. 

"We intend to keep the promises we made to the American people to cut federal spending, reduce the size and scope of the woke and weaponized federal bureaucracy, and ensure their security," the letter read. "And we stand ready to work with you to use the power of the purse to force the President to the table to work with us to make good on these promises."

Notable members that signed the letter include Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA), Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), and many more. 

It’s important that whenever the next budget negotiation comes around, the Republicans take proper advantage of their majority, even if minor, to make major cuts to federal spending. The budget ceiling negotiation was an utter disaster and a failure of that level should not be allowed to happen again.