'Disgusted' GOP Senators Express Concern Over Chaotic House Republicans

@jeisrael
'Disgusted' GOP Senators Express Concern Over Chaotic House Republicans

Rep. Kevin McCarthy

Youtube Screenshot

Republicans are set to take control of the House of Representatives on January 3, 2023 after winning a narrow majority in the November midterm elections. But substantial divisions within their caucus are preventing them from making basic decisions about how things will operate — so much so that Republican senators are openly questioning whether they will be able to function.

After winning a 222-213 majority, the House Republican caucus voted to nominate current Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to be speaker in the upcoming Congress. But at least five "Never Kevin" far-right Republicans say they will not vote for him, putting him potentially short of the needed majority to win the position when the full House votes. A group of slightly less right-wing Republicans has formed an "Only Kevin" faction and is reportedly scheming to punish the anti-McCarthy voices by stripping them of committee assignments.

According to a Thursday report in Politico, the result of this disarray has been paralysis for the incoming majority, as it has been unable to move forward on deciding who will lead key House committees, hiring staff, planning hearings, or setting a legislative agenda.

"Without question, delays in selecting chairmen and committee members put a lot of pressure on the agenda," Republican Texas Rep. Kevin Brady, who is retiring at the end of the current Congress, told the outlet.

"It delays the committee process," Rep. James Comer (R-KY) said of the ongoing uncertainty about who will be speaker. "We're behind already."

It has also undermined the House GOP's bargaining position in the current debate on the federal budget for 2023.

McCarthy (R-CA) has urged Senate Republicans to block passage of a year-old omnibus spending bill in the lame duck session this month, suggesting that the party will have more influence come January.

But the chairs of the House and Senate appropriations panels and the top Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee have ignored this and agreed Tuesday on a framework for a year-long funding bill.

Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham told CNN on Thursday that he would likely back the deal rather than wait for the House Republicans to take power, saying, "They're having enough problems trying to find a speaker — much less pass a bill."

Other Senate Republicans have also spoken out.

North Dakota Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer toldPolitico on Wednesday that he was "disgusted" with the situation. "My concern is that a new House, very small majority, new leadership, is going to have to take over, and to have to start from behind?" he said. "That concerns me. That could have negative consequences."

Mississippi GOP Sen. Roger Wicker told the publication that it would be "better not to have that major hurdle that the new speaker, Kevin McCarthy, has to negotiate … it's too much to ask."

Since the start of 2021, House Democrats have passed hundreds of piece of legislation, including landmark laws addressing climate change and health care, curbing gun violence, investing in infrastructure, and protecting interracial and same-sex marriage. They did so with a narrow majority.

Throughout that time, Republicans frequently tweeted using the hashtag "#DemsInDisarray," mocking the majority for the occasional delays as they worked to find consensus.

Reprinted with permission from American Independent.

Start your day with National Memo Newsletter

Know first.

The opinions that matter. Delivered to your inbox every morning

Marjorie Taylor Mouth Makes Another Empty Threat

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene

I’m absolutely double-positive it won’t surprise you to learn that America’s favorite poster-person for bluster, blowhardiness and bong-bouncy-bunk went on Fox News on Sunday and made a threat. Amazingly, she didn’t threaten to expose alleged corruption by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy by quoting a Russian think-tank bot-factory known as Strategic Culture Foundation, as she did last November. Rather, the Congressperson from North Georgia made her eleventy-zillionth threat to oust the Speaker of the House from her own party, Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA), using the Motion to Vacate she filed last month. She told Fox viewers she wanted to return to her House district to “listen to voters” before acting, however.

Keep reading...Show less
Trump Campaign Gives Access To Far-Right Media But Shuns Mainstream Press

Trump campaign press pass brandished on air by QAnon podcaster Brenden Dilley

Trump's Hour On CNN Was A Profile In Cowardice

Vanity Fair recently reported that several journalists from mainstream publications, including The Washington Post, NBC News, Axios, and Vanity Fair, were denied press access to Trump’s campaign events, seemingly in retaliation for their previous critical coverage. Meanwhile, Media Matters found that the campaign has granted press credentials to the QAnon-promoting MG Show and Brenden Dilley, a podcaster who has promoted the QAnon conspiracy theory and leads a “meme team” that creates pro-Trump content.

Keep reading...Show less
{{ post.roar_specific_data.api_data.analytics }}