McCarthy joins group of House Republicans threatening to tank the Senate's $1.7 trillion spending bill

By 
 December 22, 2022

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has just joined a group of House Republicans who have vowed to oppose the $1.7 trillion "omnibus spending bill" that a bipartisan group of senators is currently trying to push through the U.S. Senate. 

The group of House Republicans made the vow in a letter that they sent to Senate Republicans on Tuesday.

"Dear Senate Republican Colleagues"

In their letter, the group of House Republicans urges their Senate Republican colleagues not to pass the spending bill.

"We urge you to take all steps necessary to stop the soon-to-be finalized omnibus spending bill negotiated with Democrats," they write. "At the very least, due respect for Americans who elected would call for not passing a ‘lame duck’ bill just days before members fly home for Christmas and two weeks before a new Republican majority is sworn in for the 118th Congress."

The group of Republicans goes on to list the many problems that they have with the bill. They write:

The American people did not elect us - any of us - to continue the status quo in Washington, as this bill wil undoubtably do. They didn't elect us to borrow and spend more money we do not have as interest rates skyroecket in resopnse to government spending fueld inflation, eating away at the livelihoods of Americans. They didn't elect us to increase spending or even continue spending at current levels as higher interest payments consume an increasing percentage of our budget, and our $31 trillion national debt eclipses the size of our economy. Americans didn't elect us to continue funding an adminstration that has remained unchecked by Congress . . . Americans certainly didn't elect us to write blank checks to Ukraine while failing to hold the Pentagon brass accountable for promoting the woke ideology that is gutting the culture of our Armed Forces.

The group of Republicans describes the spending bill as "an indefensible assault on the American people . . . separation of powers . . . fiscal responsibility . . . [and] basic civic decency."

"We are obliged to inform you that if any omnibus passes in the remaining days of this Congress, we will oppose and whip opposition to any legislation priority of those senators who vote for this bill – including the Republican leader," the group of Republicans concludes.

McCarthy responds

The above letter was signed by Reps. Chip Roy (R-TX), Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Scott Perry (R-PA), Andy Biggs (R-AZ), and nine other House Republicans.

It was not signed by McCarthy.

But, McCarthy signaled his support for the letter shortly after it was made public.

McCarthy tweeted:

Agreed. Except no need to whip—when I’m Speaker, their bills will be dead on arrival in the House if this nearly $2T monstrosity is allowed to move forward over our objections and the will of the American people.

What now?

The latest news on the bloated spending bill is that it has stalled.

According to Fox News, the bill stalled on Wednesday due to fighting over a Republican-backed amendment to the bill that would extend Title 42 - the Trump-era COVID pandemic policy that has been used to limit asylum seekers to the U.S.

Fox further reports, the bill's "path forward was unclear" as of late Wednesday night. That being said, it appears that many Senate Republicans still support a path forward despite the letter from the House colleagues.

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