<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/colorado" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Colorado</a> Republican Rep. Ken Buck announced Wednesday he would not seek re-election next year, citing significant woes with his party related to the 2020 presidential election and the January 6 U.S. Capitol breach.
&#8220;Too many Republican leaders are lying to America claiming that the 2020 election was stolen, describing January 6 as an unguided tour of the Capitol and asserting that the ensuing prosecutions are a weaponization of our justice system,&#8221; Buck said in a video statement. &#8220;These insidious narratives breed widespread cynicism and erode Americans&#8217; confidence in the rule of law.&#8221;
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Earlier today I announced that I won&#39;t be seeking re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives.
To my friends in Colorado, thank you for allowing me the opportunity to serve our nation. Being your representative in Washington DC has been the highest honor of my life. <a href="https://t.co/FQdPVbpH46">pic.twitter.com/FQdPVbpH46</a>
&mdash; Rep. Ken Buck (@RepKenBuck) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepKenBuck/status/1719768665648738805?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 1, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Buck, 64, is currently serving his fifth term for Colorado&#8217;s 4th Congressional District.
He was first elected to Congress in 2015 and has served on a number of committees, including the House Judiciary and the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Buck also serves on the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law, and the Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship.
He announced his decision to leave the lower chamber of Congress after facing backlash from GOP lawmakers and their constituents who support former President Donald Trump.
The Colorado lawmaker has been taking heat since certifying Joe Biden as the victor of the 2020 presidential election. Although he serves as a member of the pro-Trump House Freedom Caucus, Buck has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-freedom-caucus-member-ken-buck-on-trump-indictment-i-wont-support-his-campaign-if-hes-convicted" target="_blank" rel="noopener">opposed</a> members of the conference who said they would support Trump if he is convicted in his federal indictments or launch an impeachment inquiry into President Biden.
In a September op-ed for The Washington Post, Buck <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/11/01/ken-buck-leaving-congress/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> the inquiry relied &#8220;on an imagined history&#8221; and that the &#8220;serious matter &#8230; should have a foundation of rock-solid facts.&#8221;
Buck also played a key role in ousting former Speaker of the House Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), marking his name as one of the eight Republicans who voted with Democrats to take the gavel away from McCarthy.
Buck also opposed Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan in his bid for speaker, which reportedly led to him receiving death threats and an eviction notice from his Colorado office landlord, who was upset over Buck&#8217;s vote against Jordan.
His fifth term officially ends on January 3, 2025.
During an <a href="https://www.msnbc.com/andrea-mitchell-reports/watch/gop-rep-ken-buck-announces-he-will-not-run-for-re-election-196870725653" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a> with MSNBC on Wednesday, Buck signaled that other GOP lawmakers would also announce their retirement from office, including Texas Republican Rep. Kay Granger, who also announced she would not seek reelection next year.
&#8220;I am joining Kay and probably some others in the near future, but I&#8217;ve decided that it is time for me to do some other things. I always have been disappointed with our inability in Congress to deal with major issues,&#8221; Buck said.
Granger, 80, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/gop-reps-ken-buck-kay-granger-announce-wont-run-re-election-rcna123189" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> said in her statement Wednesday that she wants to vacate her seat to allow the younger generation to become leaders in Washington, D.C.
&#8220;As I announce my decision to not seek re-election, I am encouraged by the next generation of leaders in my district,&#8221; she said. &#8220;It&#8217;s time for the next generation to step up and take the mantle and be a strong and fierce representative for the people.&#8221;
&#8220;Although I am not running for re-election, I plan to serve out the remainder of my term and work with our new Speaker and my colleagues to advance our conservative agenda and finish the job I was elected to do,&#8221; Granger added.

Republican Divisions Risk Dragging Out US House Speaker Vote

Colorado Rep. Ken Buck Says He Won’t Seek Re-Election In 2024

Colorado Rep. Ken Buck Says He Won't Seek Re-Election In 2024

2020 Election

Colorado

Elections

Freedom Caucus

House Republicans

January 6

Politics

President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joe Biden</a> was slammed by Republicans for “fundraising off the weaponization of justice” after he posted a 2024 campaign pitch asking for donations as former President Donald Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-returns-to-twitter-posts-mugshot-and-links-to-donations-page" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was being processed</a> at a jail in Georgia. 
Trump was processed in Fulton County jail Thursday evening shortly after 7:30 p.m. EST, where he had a mugshot taken and posted his $200,000 bond. The former president is facing 13 felony charges for his actions in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election. Around the time he was being booked, Biden’s account posted a request for donations on X.
“Apropos of nothing, I think today&#8217;s a great day to give to my campaign,” Biden <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1694854654834643104" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. 
Biden was widely condemned by Republican officials and conservative commentators, who said the president was using the arrest of his political rival to raise money. 
“Biden celebrates the weaponization of the justice system against his political enemies by asking for campaign contributions,” the House Freedom Caucus <a href="https://twitter.com/freedomcaucus/status/1695075166928163155" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “When government funding runs out 9/30, Democrats want a shutdown instead of reforming the DOJ to go after real criminals instead of political witch hunts.”
Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) called the fundraising pitch from Biden “appalling.”
“Joe is openly asking people to reward him for trying to IMPRISON his political opposition. Wake up, folks. This is appalling,” Ogles <a href="https://twitter.com/AndyOgles/status/1695078431535346057" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a>. 
Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeCollinsGA/status/1694864419107336236" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Biden had turned the country into a &#8220;Banana Republic&#8221; and was &#8220;laughing about it.&#8221;
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Sens. Rick Scott (R-FL) and Eric Schmidt (R-MO) also blasted Biden for the post. 
“[Joe Biden] pleads guilty to going after his political opponent,” Scott said.
“Totally not a political prosecution,” Schmitt <a href="https://twitter.com/Eric_Schmitt/status/1694931671911411874" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a> to X. 
“I think today is a great day to Make America Great Again … And begin the process of firing you,” Trump strategist Chris LaCivita <a href="https://twitter.com/LaCivitaC/status/1694870493797462326" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. 
“7:30pm? The same time of Trump’s arrest? Biden is fundraising off the weaponization of justice against his leading political opponent,” said Ryann McEnany, a brand communications strategist. 
“Look at the timing on this tweet: precisely the time set for Trump&#8217;s arrest last night. Trump says that this is election interference; Biden says it isn&#8217;t. This tweet is pretty good evidence Trump is right. Biden is now saying the quiet part out loud,” Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro <a href="https://twitter.com/benshapiro/status/1695101186263650557" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. 
Trump posted on X for the first time since he was deplatformed at the end of his presidency, posting a picture of his mugshot with the words &#8220;Election Interference,&#8221; &#8220;Never Surrender,&#8221; and his campaign website address.

TOPSHOT-US-POLITICS-BIDEN

Biden Slammed For ‘Fundraising Off The Weaponization Of Justice’ As Trump Arrested In Georgia

Biden Slammed For 'Fundraising Off The Weaponization Of Justice' As Trump Arrested In Georgia

2024 Election

Donald Trump

Joe Biden

A Republican lawmaker argued on Tuesday in favor of making a play for spending cuts without &#8220;fear&#8221; of a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/government-shutdown">government shutdown</a> as the appropriations process ramps up.
Appearing with colleagues in the conservative House Freedom Caucus outside the U.S. Capitol Building, Rep. Bob Good (R-VA) made a hardline case for demanding fiscal restraint ahead of the new fiscal year, which starts in the fall.
&#8220;We should not fear a government shutdown. Most of what we do up here is bad anyway,&#8221; Good said.
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Rep. Bob Good: &quot;We should not fear a government shutdown. Most of what we do up here is bad anyway.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/Y5p1YhqIIf">pic.twitter.com/Y5p1YhqIIf</a>
&mdash; Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) <a href="https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1683859994062491655?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Reciting a figure given by Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Good said 85% of &#8220;essential operations&#8221; would continue. He also contended that most Americans &#8220;won&#8217;t even miss if the government is shut down temporarily.&#8221;
On social media, Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) shot back at Good with a short list of services he said federal agencies would be unable to provide during a government shutdown.
&#8220;The [Federal Housing Administration] can&#8217;t process loans and mortgage approvals. The [Food and Drug Administration] can&#8217;t conduct food safety inspections. The [Small Business Administration] can&#8217;t process loans to help start small businesses. The [Environmental Protection Agency] can&#8217;t inspect drinking water systems and chemical facilities,&#8221; the Democrat <a href="https://twitter.com/GerryConnolly/status/1683879807379968002">said</a> in a post.
Members of the Freedom Caucus have been <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-conservatives-make-spending-demands-to-rein-in-bidens-radical-woke-government">putting pressure on House leadership</a> to bend to their demands on appropriations or risk losing critical votes following this spring&#8217;s bipartisan deal to avoid a default on the U.S. debt.
Good was responding to a two-part question from a reporter, who asked if there were concerns about a government shutdown in October — the start of the new fiscal year — and whether Freedom Caucus-approved spending legislation could get through the Democrat-controlled Senate.
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Biggs, the first to answer the question, said he was not worried about a government shutdown at this point, predicting that some spending measures will be combined and pass as a &#8220;minibus&#8221; while a continuous resolution would keep the rest of the government running through the end of the year as talks progress.
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WATCH LIVE: House Freedom Caucus holds news briefing on 2024 Congressional budget <a href="https://t.co/YkyzEdzVpE">https://t.co/YkyzEdzVpE</a>
&mdash; PBS NewsHour (@NewsHour) <a href="https://twitter.com/NewsHour/status/1683855270282137601?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2023</a></blockquote>
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In rounding out his response, Good argued that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) &#8220;has an opportunity to be a transformational, historical speaker that stared down the Democrats, that stared down the free-spenders, that stared down the president, and said, &#8216;No, we&#8217;re going to do what the American people elected us to do.'&#8221;
&#8220;We&#8217;re going to pass a good Republican bill out of the House and force the Senate and the White House to accept it, or we&#8217;re not going to move forward,&#8221; Good added. &#8220;What would happen if Republicans for once stared down the Democrats and were the ones who refused to cave and to betray the American people and the trust they put in us when they gave us the majority? So we don&#8217;t fear a government shutdown.&#8221;

Rep. Bob Good (R-VA)

GOP Congressman Makes Case For Why ‘We Should Not Fear A Government Shutdown’

GOP Congressman Makes Case For Why 'We Should Not Fear A Government Shutdown'

Budget

Congress

Government Shutdown

Spending Bill

U.S.

Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO), a member of the pro-Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/freedom-caucus" target="_blank" rel="noopener">House Freedom Caucus</a>, said during an interview on Tuesday that he will not support former President Donald Trump&#8217;s campaign if a court convicts him of the charges contained in the federal indictment against him.
Buck&#8217;s comments come as Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-turns-himself-in-to-authorities-at-miami-court" target="_blank" rel="noopener">appeared</a> before federal Magistrate Judge Jonathan Goodman in the Southern District of Florida on Tuesday where he pleaded not guilty to 37 felony counts for his alleged retention of national defense information, his alleged attempts to obstruct the investigation, and for allegedly lying to investigators.
Buck, who is a former federal prosecutor, said that the allegations in the indictment were &#8220;very serious&#8221; and that the prosecutors in the case went into great detail to explain to the American public why they believe that the indictment was necessary.
Buck said that he was concerned about equal treatment under the law in the case because Democrats like Hillary Clinton engaged in similar conduct as the former president, but did not face an indictment.
When asked during a CNN interview if he would feel comfortable with Trump as president again given the allegations contained in the indictment, Buck said, &#8220;I would not feel comfortable with a convicted felon in the White House, so we’ll see how the case plays out and we’ll see how the evidence is presented and what the defenses are.&#8221;
&#8220;But let’s just look at Donald Trump’s words in 2016,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;He said that Hillary Clinton was unfit for the White House because of the way she handled classified information. He said that she wasn’t even qualified to have a low-level State Department job because of the way she handled information. So I think his words have set the standard that America will look at in determining whether he is fit for president.&#8221;
Buck noted that Trump was “innocent until proven guilty&#8221; and that &#8220;after the trial, if he’s convicted of these charges, of mishandling this information, of knowingly concealing his actions, I certainly won’t support a convicted felon for the White House.&#8221;
Buck said that Trump could be facing a third criminal indictment in the near future and that the indictments will have a significant impact on the voters in the middle who determine the outcome of elections.
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Key Speakers At Conservative Political Action Conference

House Freedom Caucus Member Ken Buck On Trump Indictment: I Won’t Support His Campaign If He’s Convicted

House Freedom Caucus Member Ken Buck On Trump Indictment: I Won't Support His Campaign If He's Convicted

Crime

President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joe Biden</a> signed a bill into law on Saturday to avoid a default on the federal government’s debt by raising the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/debt-ceiling" target="_blank" rel="noopener">debt ceiling</a>.
The bill, known as the Fiscal Responsibility Act, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senate-passes-debt-ceiling-bill-to-avert-default-ahead-of-x-date" target="_blank" rel="noopener">will suspend</a> the debt limit until January 2025 and implement restraints on spending that the Congressional Budget Office estimated would reduce budget deficits by $1.5 trillion over the next decade. 
“I just signed into law a bipartisan budget agreement that prevents a first-ever default while reducing the deficit, safeguarding Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, and fulfilling our [sacred] obligation to our veterans,” Biden said on Twitter. “Now, we continue the work of building the strongest economy in the world.”
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I just signed into law a bipartisan budget agreement that prevents a first-ever default while reducing the deficit, safeguarding Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, and fulfilling our scared obligation to our veterans.   Now, we continue the work of building the strongest… <a href="https://t.co/42HIFBy8Y9">pic.twitter.com/42HIFBy8Y9</a>
&mdash; President Biden (@POTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1665060615000322050?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 3, 2023</a></blockquote>
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The bill was hashed out through a deal between House Speaker <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kevin-mccarthy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kevin McCarthy</a> (R-CA) and Biden. It passed both the House and the Senate with more Democrat votes in favor than Republican, with some conservative lawmakers saying that it didn’t cut down on spending enough. 
In the House, 149 Republicans joined 165 Democrats in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-passes-mccarthy-biden-debt-ceiling-compromise-bill" target="_blank" rel="noopener">voting for</a> the bill, while in the Senate 17 Republicans joined 46 Democrats in supporting the measure. 
The bill was supported by leadership in both parties, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and McCarthy in the House. 
“We prevented a catastrophic default that would have decimated our economy and [inflicted] immense pain on families,” Schumer <a href="https://twitter.com/SenSchumer/status/1664470685224140801" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeted</a>. “We preserved the lion’s share of the historic investments we made. We took off the table the worst parts of the MAGA Republican plan that would have hurt families.”
The bill was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-disaster-republican-senators-voice-opposition-to-mccarthy-biden-debt-ceiling-deal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">strongly opposed</a> by many Republican senators, including Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY). 
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“I think the Biden-McCarthy debt deal is a disaster for the country. It does not significantly change the trajectory of the debt. Each year we’ll spend more money and the debt will grow $4 trillion in two years. It’s not very conservative,” Paul <a href="https://www.kktv.com/video/2023/05/31/sen-rand-paul-reacts-deal-debt-ceiling/">told</a> reporters this week.
In the House, the bill was opposed by many in the House Freedom Caucus, who took issue with many aspects of the deal, including the provision that punts the debt ceiling into 2025. 
McCarthy declared the deal a win for conservatives. “Maybe it doesn’t do everything for everyone, but this is a step in the right direction that no one thought that we would be able to today,” <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/speaker-kevin-mccarthy-touts-wins-conservatives-secured-in-tentative-debt-ceiling-agreement" target="_blank" rel="noopener">McCarthy said</a>. “I’ll debate this bill with anybody. Is it everything I wanted? No, because we don’t control all of it. But it is the biggest rescission in history. It is the biggest cut Congress has ever voted for in that process.”

President Biden Addresses The Nation On Averting Default And The Bipartisan Budget Agreement

Biden Signs Bill To Increase Debt Ceiling, Avoid Federal Default

Debt Ceiling

Kevin McCarthy

National Debt

House Speaker <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/kevin-mccarthy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kevin McCarthy</a> (R-CA) dismissed a letter from the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/freedom-caucus" target="_blank" rel="noopener">House Freedom Caucus</a> on Friday pressing him and other <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/house-republicans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Republicans</a> to “hold the line” on a <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/debt-ceiling" target="_blank" rel="noopener">debt ceiling</a> agreement with President <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/biden-administration" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joe Biden</a> which includes spending reforms.
The debt ceiling, a statute established by <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/congress" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Congress</a> that prevents the government from spending beyond a predetermined <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/national-debt" target="_blank" rel="noopener">national debt</a> limit of $31.4 trillion, exceeded the threshold earlier this year, prompting fear that the nation will default on loans within the next week. Rep. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/chip-roy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chip Roy</a> (R-TX), a member of the House Freedom Caucus, said in a <a href="https://roy.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/roy.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/roy_hold-the-line-memo_5.24.23_0.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> on Wednesday that his colleagues should continue to push for a deal which includes spending reductions and growth caps, the repeal of multiple Biden administration policies, and elevated work requirements for individuals receiving government assistance.
“While House Republicans are fighting for hard-working American families facing a woke, weaponized government at odds with our way of life,” Roy contended. “President Biden and Democrats have been dragging their feet for weeks to fight for rich liberal elitists who want more spending, more government, more corporate subsidies, and less freedom.”
Roy noted that the reforms were included in the Limit, Save, Grow Act, which recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gop-led-house-passes-mccarthys-plan-to-raise-debt-limit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passed</a> the narrowly divided House and is waiting for approval in the Senate, which is controlled by Democrats. He asserted that each reform is “critical” and affirmed that “none should be abandoned” only to make an agreement on the debt limit.
McCarthy said in a press <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfxV44KZ_TA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">conference</a> on Friday that he is “not at all” concerned with the letter, even as he needs votes from members of the House Freedom Caucus in order to pass legislation. “Unfortunately we’ve got to get a bill that can get through the Senate and signed by the President,” he remarked. “It’s a lot of negotiation, it’s hard, but we’re willing to do the work.”
Members of the House Freedom Caucus have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-freedom-caucus-chairman-responds-as-white-house-lobs-spurious-claims-at-spending-cut-proposal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> they would vote to raise the debt ceiling in exchange for a framework that returns expenditures to fiscal year 2022 levels, increases the debt limit only for the next year, caps annual spending growth at 1% over the next decade, and repeals policies such as student debt forgiveness and increased funds for the IRS. The lawmakers previously delayed providing their votes to McCarthy as he sought to succeed former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) earlier this year, forcing McCarthy to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/here-are-the-concessions-house-speaker-kevin-mccarthy-gave-to-republican-holdouts-to-win-their-support" target="_blank" rel="noopener">commit</a> to advance a budget framework which introduces various spending reforms.
The national debt now surpasses $31.7 trillion and serves as a continual damper on economic growth, while elevated interest rates have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/interest-payments-on-the-national-debt-on-pace-to-surpass-military-spending" target="_blank" rel="noopener">weighed</a> on the budget as lawmakers are forced to devote more revenues toward servicing the debt rather than spending on federal programs. Failure to amend the debt limit, on the other hand, could induce a recession and lead to a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/top-rating-agencies-threaten-u-s-with-credit-downgrade-over-debt-limit-chaos-even-if-a-deal-is-made" target="_blank" rel="noopener">downgrade</a> in the federal government’s credit rating.
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Democratic officials have meanwhile <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-democrat-leader-claims-republicans-want-to-crash-the-economy-so-trump-will-be-elected" target="_blank" rel="noopener">contended</a> in recent weeks that Republicans are engaged in brinkmanship as they call for spending reforms in addition to a temporary increase in the debt limit, while Republicans have noted that Democrats <a href="https://www.speaker.gov/reasonable-republicans-and-default-democrats/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">waited</a> more than three months to resume negotiations, which started in February.

McCarthy Dismisses Freedom Caucus Letter Urging Him To ‘Hold The Line’ On Spending Reforms

McCarthy Dismisses Freedom Caucus Letter Urging Him To 'Hold The Line' On Debt Limit

Biden Administration

Chip Roy

Members of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/freedom-caucus" target="_blank" rel="noopener">House Freedom Caucus</a> took a hardline position on Thursday against an increase in the <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/debt-ceiling" target="_blank" rel="noopener">debt ceiling</a> divorced from meaningful reforms to the federal <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/national-debt" target="_blank" rel="noopener">budget</a>.
The debt ceiling, a statute established by <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/congress" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Congress</a> that prevents the government from spending beyond a predetermined national debt limit of $31.4 trillion, exceeded the threshold earlier this year. Treasury Secretary <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/janet-yellen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Janet Yellen</a> said in a <a href="https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy1483" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> that her agency expects to default on obligations as early as June 1 unless the debt limit is soon amended.
The House Freedom Caucus, a bloc of conservative Republicans, previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-freedom-caucus-chairman-responds-as-white-house-lobs-spurious-claims-at-spending-cut-proposal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> they would consider voting to raise the debt limit in exchange for a framework that returns expenditures to fiscal year 2022 levels, raises the debt ceiling only for the next year, and restricts annual spending growth to 1% over the next decade. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gop-led-house-passes-mccarthys-plan-to-raise-debt-limit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passed</a> the framework in the House by means of the Limit, Save, Grow Act.
The lawmakers, without whom McCarthy is unable to pass legislation because of the narrow Republican majority, reiterated that they will not support any other means to raise the debt limit, a vow which comes less than two weeks from the possible June 1 deadline.
“The U.S. House of Representatives has done its job in passing the Limit, Save, Grow Act to provide a mechanism to raise the debt ceiling. This legislation is the official position of the House Freedom Caucus and, by its passage with 217 votes, the entire House Republican Conference,” read a statement from the lawmakers shared with The Daily Wire. “The House Freedom Caucus calls on Speaker McCarthy and Senate Republicans to use every leverage and tool at their disposal to ensure the Limit, Save, Grow Act is signed into law. There should be no further discussion until the Senate passes the legislation.”
The statement was released two days after McCarthy and other congressional leaders met with President Joe Biden to continue debt limit negotiations. Both parties <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-and-mccarthy-make-progress-after-latest-debt-ceiling-talks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">indicated</a> that they had made progress on the matter, with a statement from the White House characterizing the discussion as “productive and direct” and remarks from McCarthy confirming that “it is possible to get a deal by the end of the week.”
Continued disagreements on the debt ceiling have made financial markets increasingly nervous as the deadline approaches: JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/major-bank-sets-up-war-room-as-nation-approaches-debt-default" target="_blank" rel="noopener">revealed</a> this week that his investment bank created a “war room” that will monitor contingencies should lawmakers fail to make a deal to increase the debt limit, while Yellen and other officials are communicating with business leaders on the status of the government’s finances.
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A default would likely cause a recession as the federal government, a major borrower of funds that investors across the world broadly consider to be reliable, fails to repay obligations. The national debt, which now surpasses $31.7 trillion, is meanwhile a source of persistent financial risk for the United States and a damper on long-term economic growth. Elevated interest rates on the national debt have recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/interest-payments-on-the-national-debt-on-pace-to-surpass-military-spending" target="_blank" rel="noopener">weighed</a> on the budget as lawmakers are forced to devote more revenues toward servicing the obligations rather than funding programs.

Scott Perry

House Freedom Caucus Adopts Hardline Position On Debt Ceiling, Insists On Meaningful Spending Reform

House Freedom Caucus Adopts Hardline Position On Debt Ceiling, Insists On Spending Reform

House Freedom Caucus Chair Scott Perry (R-PA) blasted White House Press Secretary <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/karine-jean-pierre" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Karine Jean-Pierre</a> after she said that lawmakers have “limited time” to raise the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/debt-ceiling" target="_blank" rel="noopener">debt ceiling</a>, an assertion which comes after the <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/biden-administration?_gl=1*gsk6ab*_ga*NzUzNDA5ODIxLjE2NzkzMjkzNzM.*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTY4MzEzMDgyNy4xNzUuMS4xNjgzMTM1MDkzLjM0LjAuMA.." target="_blank" rel="noopener">Biden administration</a> delayed negotiations on the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/budget" target="_blank" rel="noopener">matter</a> for several weeks.
The debt ceiling, a policy established by <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/congress" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Congress</a> that prevents the federal government from spending beyond the predetermined national debt limit of $31.4 trillion, surpassed that threshold earlier this year. House Speaker <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kevin-mccarthy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kevin McCarthy</a> (R-CA) and President Joe Biden <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/white-house-takes-adversarial-posture-toward-mccarthy-ahead-of-budget-cut-meeting-heres-what-they-want-him-to-do" target="_blank" rel="noopener">met</a> in early February to discuss possible mechanisms to raise or eliminate the debt limit, but the commander-in-chief delayed further meetings for several months.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/yellen-warns-of-debt-default-as-early-as-june-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">warned</a> on Monday that the nation could face a default as soon as the first day of June unless the debt limit is amended. Jean-Pierre therefore <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2023/05/02/press-briefing-by-press-secretary-karine-jean-pierre-30/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">asserted</a> in a Tuesday press briefing that McCarthy is seeking to “hold the full faith and credit of the United States hostage” by insisting that any move to increase the debt ceiling should occur alongside meaningful spending cuts or limits upon future expenditures.
“Given the limited time Congress now has, it is clear the only practical path to avoid default is for Congress to suspend the debt limit without conditions,” she commented.
Perry reacted to the claim by noting that time to increase the debt ceiling is only limited because of the administration’s refusal to negotiate. “This is like a pyromaniac starting a fire and watching it burn for months suddenly declaring it needs to be put out while simultaneously pouring more gas on it,” the lawmaker told The Daily Wire. “Americans are fed up with economic illiteracy of a president who’s been willfully negligent and disconnected from the harm he’s caused our families, workers, and job creators.”
Members of the House Freedom Caucus, a bloc of conservative Republicans, have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-freedom-caucus-chairman-responds-as-white-house-lobs-spurious-claims-at-spending-cut-proposal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> they would consider voting to raise the debt ceiling in exchange for a framework which returns expenditures to fiscal year 2022 levels, raises the debt ceiling only for the next year, and limits annual spending growth to 1% over the next decade. McCarthy unveiled a budget <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kevin-mccarthy-unveils-plan-to-responsibly-raise-debt-limit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">proposal</a> which mirrored the framework and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gop-led-house-passes-mccarthys-plan-to-raise-debt-limit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passed</a> the House last week.
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Some lawmakers in the House Freedom Caucus previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/here-are-the-concessions-house-speaker-kevin-mccarthy-gave-to-republican-holdouts-to-win-their-support" target="_blank" rel="noopener">refused</a> to grant McCarthy control of the gavel earlier this year unless he promised to support a budget which does not allow the debt ceiling to rise. The budget framework passed last week is expected to reduce deficits by $4.8 trillion over the next decade, according to an <a href="https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2023-04/59102-Arrington-Letter_LSG%20Act_4-25-2023.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">analysis</a> from the Congressional Budget Office.
Jean-Pierre added that Biden called a meeting with senior House and Senate lawmakers for next week in order to “discuss the urgency and importance of avoiding default.” White House officials will propose creating a “separate process to address the budget and appropriations, because we have long said we welcome a conversation about spending priorities.”
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) has also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-deficiency-of-leadership-manchin-calls-out-biden-for-not-negotiating-with-republicans-on-debt-limit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">criticized</a> Biden for refusing to negotiate with McCarthy and other Republican leaders, calling the move a “deficiency of leadership” and urging both sides to reach an agreement. “For the sake of the country, I urge President Biden to come to the table, propose a plan for real and substantive spending cuts and deficit reduction, and negotiate now.”

Freedom Caucus Chair Blasts White House For Punting Debt Ceiling Talks For Months Then Saying There Is ‘Limited Time’ To Negotiate

Karine Jean-Pierre

Republicans hold governorships and legislative majorities in 22 states, compared to 17 for Democrats and 11 states in which government is divided. Yet, GOP-run states often do not implement policies aligned with their party as Democrat-led states often do. The following is the first in a four-part series on Republican-dominated state legislatures and how they govern.
In January, some members of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/freedom-caucus" target="_blank" rel="noopener">House Freedom Caucus</a> <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-19-republicans-block-kevin-mccarthys-bid-for-house-speaker" target="_blank" rel="noopener">refused</a> to vote for <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/kevin-mccarthy-defends-releasing-january-6-tapes-torches-cnn-reporter-to-their-face-daily-wire-news/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kevin McCarthy</a> as House speaker unless he promised concessions. They won. Now, the staunchly conservative group is expanding into an area where they could make a far larger difference: Red states where laws can be passed without support from Democrats.
The State Freedom Caucus Network has rapidly taken root in 11 states, promising to make sure that states where Republicans have a mandate legislate like it. While their House counterparts have been criticized as obstructionist — failing to understand the need for compromise in a closely matched body — that criticism doesn’t apply in deep-red states, where the question becomes why are Republicans compromising with Democrats.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has attracted national attention with bold policies, but Florida is not a historically red state. DeSantis won his first election by less than one percent. As of 2021, 64% of statehouse seats in Florida were held by Republicans — ranking it 20th in terms of Republican control, barely above average.
States like Wyoming, the Dakotas, Idaho, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Utah dwarfed Florida in terms of actual Republican control, with 90% of seats in Wyoming occupied by Republicans. Even Ohio had more Republican control than Florida, according to 2021 data from the National Council of State Legislatures.
For years, there has been little national media coverage of state politics, so residents of red states might hear little about what’s going on in their capitals, good or bad.
But with Florida in the headlines on a weekly basis for making moves — in recent weeks Florida passed constitutional carry, a six-week abortion ban, and school choice — residents of the 19 states that are redder than Florida are increasingly wondering why they’re not hearing about similarly bold moves in their state.
That’s triggering what might be called a Ron Revolution, with lawmakers in other states seeking to follow the blueprint created by DeSantis. The Florida governor welcomes that, saying “I want them to eclipse me. We’re setting a great standard in Florida, have everyone up their game.”
The State Freedom Caucus Network in some ways has DeSantis in its DNA. As a congressman from 2013-2018, DeSantis was a founding member of the House Freedom Caucus. The Network is led by Andrew Roth, a former Club for Growth executive, alongside Justin Ouimette, the House group’s former executive director.
“Since the House Freedom Caucus fought with the speaker in January, we’re trying to bring that business model down to the states. It makes sense there. What the State Freedom Caucus Network does is take these part-time lawmakers and give them staff and a full year-round operation,” Roth told <a href="https://www.dailywire.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Wire</a>.
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In much the same way that conservatives long ignored school boards, assuming they didn’t matter and that the ones where they live were probably in good hands – before coronavirus school shutdowns showed them that none of that was true – strategists say a similar awakening is afoot when it comes to state-level politics.
The importance of states is two-fold: First, many have Republican majorities or supermajorities allowing them to actually implement policies, instead of just arguing about them in the abstract, as is more likely to happen in Washington. Second, states are more powerful than many give them credit for, having authority under the Constitution to oversee every power not specifically granted to the federal government.
“All of the big issues occurring right now are at the state level. School choice, ESG, CRT, porn in our schools, election integrity, abortion – all of those are state issues,” Roth said.
Roth said his group has already notched numerous wins, with the Idaho Freedom Caucus killing a student-loan forgiveness program pushed by Republican Gov. Brad Little, and the Arizona Freedom Caucus helping torpedo the Democrat governor&#8217;s nominee for state health director over her stance on closing schools. Mississippi&#8217;s chapter pressured the speaker to cancel a fundraiser supporting a pro-abortion former Democrat, he said.
In Idaho, a school board &#8220;chose to open up bathrooms to boys and girls, and the state education superintendent just shrugged her shoulders.&#8221; But after Attorney General Raul Labrador, a former congressman who was a founding member of the House Freedom Caucus, weighed in, the school board paused their decision, he said.
One recent night, state lawmakers gathered in a Washington, D.C. townhouse to prepare for the launch of the network’s newest chapter in Louisiana.
&#8220;We&#8217;re going to stand our ground and let people know we&#8217;re standing our ground,&#8221; Beryl Amedee, a second-term Louisiana legislator, told The Daily Wire. &#8220;I believe that when the people in Louisiana see that there are people in office who do represent their actual views, I think that will affect future elections.&#8221;
The network’s staff on the ground there will be run by Connie Hair, the former chief of staff for Rep. Louie Gohmert, a member of the House Freedom Caucus who left Congress to pursue a Texas state office.
Hair expects to get much more done in Louisiana than she could in Washington. “We can’t solve this at the federal level. We need people doing it at the state level,” she told The Daily Wire.
But there is also a problem: Few residents pay attention to state-level politics, and therefore, no one holds Republican lawmakers accountable when they fail to reflect the views of their constituents. Most residents couldn’t even name their state rep – they simply assume that if they have the right party signifier behind their name, they’re worthy of re-election.
Alan Seabaugh, a Louisiana legislator since 2010, said he doesn’t want to attack his fellow Republicans, he simply wants Louisiana voters to know how they’re behaving. After one vote, “I printed the list of votes and highlighted the names of the Republicans who voted to raise taxes and put it on Facebook, and you would have thought I set off a bomb. They were calling me, ‘why would you do that to me?’ I thought, &#8216;why would you do that to me?&#8217;” he said.
One reason Republican states fail to successfully execute conservative policy is that being a state lawmaker is often a part-time position with little in the way of staffing. That’s where the Freedom Caucus will come in, providing outside experts to perform services like poring through lengthy bills to evaluate which ones are good and which ones may have problematic clauses tucked in.
It can also make sure that bills are drafted in a detailed manner that makes sure they won’t be easily circumvented, as has happened with some efforts to ban CRT in schools.
“When they submit a bill to be drafted, the conservatives don’t draft it very well so it doesn’t stand up very well. The lawyers have an advantage, but the guy who owns a gas station doesn’t know the finer points of the law,&#8221; Roth said.
Ensuring that Republicans have counterpoints to states like California — which is not only dominated by Democrats in the legislature, but also routinely implements far-Left policy — could offer a pressure relief valve from the tensions of modern U.S. politics, allowing people to choose to move to places that will predictably be governed in a way that aligns with their values.
“The idea of a national divorce is dumb, but we should have bold red states where people can move to,” Thomas Bradbury, director of advocacy and policy at the American Conservative Union, told The Daily Wire.
And in an era where few are still persuadable by political rhetoric, the way a party governs when they have control of a state is important because it’s a chance for voters to see whether those policies work with their own eyes.
Residents in purple states can look at the real-world outcomes in states that are governed with bold conservative visions versus bold liberal visions, and see which one worked out better. If states are the laboratories of democracy, that amounts to evaluating the outcome of the experiment.
That’s an experiment that worked out well for conservatives in places like Florida’s Miami-Dade County, a Democrat stronghold that voted for DeSantis last year. Prior to his election, they might have believed ads that portrayed DeSantis in overblown terms. But after four years of enacting policies, they could judge him on outcomes, not rhetoric.
“If you lead boldly, you can convince people that the policies have made their lives better,” Bradbury said.
Part 1: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/19-statehouses-have-bigger-republican-majorities-than-florida-this-group-is-making-sure-they-act-like-it" target="_blank" rel="noopener">19 Statehouses Have Bigger Republican Majorities Than Florida. This Group Is Making Sure They Act Like It.</a>
Part 2: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/why-did-wyoming-kill-school-choice-deep-red-states-often-dont-act-like-it-data-shows" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Why Did Wyoming Kill School Choice? Deep-Red States Often Don’t Act Like It, Data Shows</a>
Part 3: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/why-legislatures-in-the-deep-red-states-that-sent-romney-and-cheney-to-washington-vote-like-liberals" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Why Legislatures In The Deep-Red States That Sent Romney And Cheney To Washington ‘Vote Like Liberals’</a>
Part 4:<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/soros-gets-bang-for-buck-in-down-ballot-races-why-havent-conservatives-done-the-same"> Soros Gets Bang For Buck In Down-Ballot Races. Why Haven’t Conservatives Done The Same?</a>

Ron Desantis gives a political speech in Nassau County, Long Island, New York

19 Statehouses Have Bigger Republican Majorities Than Florida. This Group Is Making Sure They Act Like It.

19 States Have Bigger Republican Majorities Than Florida. This Group Is Making Sure They Act Like It.

Louisiana

Red States

Ron DeSantis

Wyoming

The <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/biden-administration" target="_blank" rel="noopener">White House</a> responded to a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/budget" target="_blank" rel="noopener">budget</a> cut proposal from the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/freedom-caucus" target="_blank" rel="noopener">House Freedom Caucus</a> with a series of criticisms that the group’s senior lawmaker calls “preposterous.”
The Biden administration offered a budget framework earlier this month which would increase spending from $5.8 trillion to $6.9 trillion and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/more-taxes-and-more-spending-heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-president-bidens-newest-budget" target="_blank" rel="noopener">implement</a> several tax hikes on wealthy individuals and businesses. Members of the House Freedom Caucus, a bloc of conservative Republican lawmakers, countered with a proposal that would establish topline discretionary spending at the fiscal year 2022 level for one decade and allow for 1% annual growth.
An <a href="https://twitter.com/freedomcaucus/status/1634205313623572480" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announcement</a> of the House Freedom Caucus framework asserted that its budget proposal would inhibit “the wasteful, woke, and weaponized federal bureaucracy.”
The release of the budget proposals coincides with <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/congressional-budget-office-reveals-when-government-will-run-out-of-cash" target="_blank" rel="noopener">negotiations</a> between President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) over the debt ceiling, a measure established by Congress that disallows the federal government from spending beyond the predetermined statutory limit of $31.4 trillion. When the national debt surpassed the limit earlier this year, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/yellen-warns-congress-extraordinary-measures-have-begun-after-debt-ceiling-breached" target="_blank" rel="noopener">warned</a> lawmakers that she was forced to implement “extraordinary measures” to fund the government until early June, after which the government will default on obligations.
Members of the House Freedom Caucus will consider voting to raise the debt ceiling contingent upon acceptance of their budget framework, as well as moves to rescind the $400 billion White House student loan cancellation plan, the $80 billion recently allocated to double the size of the IRS, and unspent stimulus funds passed during the lockdown-induced recession. The stringent demands from the House Freedom Caucus were met with <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/03/20/five-alarm-fire-the-house-freedom-caucus-extreme-budget-proposal-endangers-public-safety/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claims</a> from the White House on Monday that the framework would “make our borders less secure” and “defund the police.”
House Freedom Caucus Chair Scott Perry (R-PA) told The Daily Wire that the rebuttal from the Biden administration was not a serious counterargument to the proposal.
“This White House has done more to endanger our law enforcement and the American People than any in history. Fear and smear isn’t a pillar of policy,” Perry commented. “It’s propaganda, and this latest tactic is a disgusting attempt to distract, deceive, and deny his record-setting incompetence surrendering operational control of our southern border to lawless drug cartels, sinking our economy, and ushering in debt and bank crises.”
The assertion that law enforcement funding would be jeopardized by the House Freedom Caucus framework likely resides in the call for a reduction in “topline” spending, which would still allow lawmakers to reallocate wasteful spending within individual agencies.
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The White House <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/03/21/five-alarm-fire-the-house-freedom-caucus-extreme-budget-proposal-raises-costs-for-families/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">added</a> on Tuesday that the House Freedom Caucus proposal would raise “costs for families.” Inflation rates have more than <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-says-economy-will-continue-to-make-progress-after-another-dismal-inflation-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">quadrupled</a> since Biden assumed office two years ago.
The Daily Wire asked Perry under what circumstances members of the House Freedom Caucus would amend their intentions to make votes on the debt ceiling contingent on their budget framework. He responded that “nearly every significant deficit reduction agreement since 1980” emerged from a negotiation regarding the debt limit.
“America is facing an unprecedented, unsustainable debt crisis thanks to out-of-control spending from Washington,” the lawmaker said. “President Biden, however, refuses to negotiate with Congress. Furthermore, the Constitution and our laws require the federal government to pay our debts, and the President has both the money and tools to do so. If he chooses to default on America’s debt for political reasons, that is on him and him alone.”

House Freedom Caucus Chairman Responds As White House Lobs Spurious Claims At Spending Cut Proposal

House Freedom Caucus Chairman Responds As Biden Blasts Spending Cut Plans

For good reason, it is rare to call any politician a &#8220;hero,&#8221; but who in The Swamp could be seen in a better light right now than the 20 Republicans who fought the status quo, demanded congressional change, and won this past week?
The conservative congressmen and women (full list of names below) held out on supporting <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-kevin-mccarthy-elected-next-speaker-of-the-house" target="_blank" rel="noopener">now-Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA)</a> all week, after working behind the scenes since the summertime, to ensure that Republicans would actually have the tools and rules necessary to effectively disrupt the way Washington works for the better.
Not only did these <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/far-right-kooks-lunatics-terrorists-anarchists-all-the-names-the-gop-establishment-has-called-the-house-freedom-caucus-over-the-years" target="_blank" rel="noopener">individuals withstand pressure and insults such as &#8220;terrorists,&#8221; &#8220;enemies,&#8221; </a>and comparisons to the Taliban from their House colleagues this past week, but they also stood against outside criticism from those who thought it better to simply vote in McCarthy without question.
These representatives knew what they wanted, knew what their voters expected of them, and worked tirelessly for it. The debate and temporary gridlock were a moral and political necessity.
Consider that all week long, the GOP establishment claimed that the anti-McCarthy crowd had no specific demands. As this author previously wrote, that idea was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/its-nonsense-to-say-the-anti-mccarthy-speakership-crowd-has-no-specific-requests" target="_blank" rel="noopener">nonsense</a>.
The group&#8217;s fundamental complaint was that the federal government has grown in scope and power thus harming the quality of life in America.
In order to stop that decline, these 20 individuals wanted explicit changes in the House as well as assurances regarding the makeup of certain congressional committees.
Ultimately, in order to support McCarthy, the majority of this group needed to have confidence that the new Congress would put forth conservative legislation, have the means to block bad bills, and authority to hold corrupt actors inside and outside the government accountable. Many had differing ideas as to how to do that, some even saying they could never support McCarthy, but it was clear that as a whole, they weren&#8217;t seeking change for the mere sake of doing something different.
In turn, establishment allies wanted the American people to believe that Congress was in a &#8220;hostage&#8221; situation. Why? Well, because these conservatives dared to demand that Congress act conservatively with guardrails in place.
The holdouts, we were told, had no desire to discuss anything and were blocking the GOP from governing.
In reality, those who were refusing to vote for McCarthy were arguing their ideas to anybody who would listen. Behind closed doors, they were making deals to get their desired results as explained to the public.
Saturday morning, after 15 rounds of voting, the American people can now see which compromises McCarthy made in order to swing votes his way.
That fact alone raises the question of how exactly could McCarthy make concessions on stipulations that were supposedly non-existent. It&#8217;s unlikely those most vocal against these negotiated agreements will ever answer that one. Courtesy of <a href="https://www.zerohedge.com/political/here-are-concessions-mccarthy-had-make-speakership" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Zerohedge</a>, here&#8217;s a partial list of what we&#8217;ll see out of the People&#8217;s House this year:
<blockquote>
<ol>
<li>As has been reported, it will only take a single congressperson, acting in what is known as a Jeffersonian Motion, to move to remove the Speaker if he or she goes back on their word or policy agenda.</li>
<li>A “Church” style committee will be convened to look into the weaponization of the FBI and other government organizations (presumably the CIA, the subject of the original Church Committee) against the American people.</li>
<li>Term limits will be put up for a vote.</li>
<li>[Spending] Bills presented to Congress will be single subject, not omnibus with all the attendant earmarks, and there will be a 72-hour minimum period to read them.</li>
<li>The Texas Border Plan will be put before Congress. From The Hill: “The four-pronged plan aims to ‘Complete Physical Border Infrastructure,’ ‘Fix Border Enforcement Policies,’ ‘Enforce our Laws in the Interior’ and ‘Target Cartels &amp; Criminal Organizations.’”</li>
<li>COVID mandates will be ended, as will all funding for them, including so-called “emergency funding.”</li>
<li>Budget bills would stop the endless increases in the debt ceiling and hold the Senate accountable for the same.</li>
</ol>
</blockquote>
There are other points, such as capping fiscal year spending in 2024 at 2022 levels across the board, but none of this should come as a surprise. These requests were all known throughout the week.
In light of it all, the question really should be why the other 200-plus Republicans supporting McCarthy weren&#8217;t also demanding these items in the first place.
For some reason, Republicans fretted that this entire standoff would end with Speaker Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY). The base was told it was a national embarrassment for Republicans everywhere — as if the GOP establishment doesn’t embarrass itself on its own plenty.
A Democratic speaker was realistically never going to occur because it would have been political suicide for any Republican to lend support to Jeffries.
Still, despite threats, name-calling, and more — these 20 did not budge. Perhaps it is because conservatives in the House who want to do more than simply provide lip service have been treated pretty badly by the party over the years — especially the Freedom Caucus.
Since 2015, folks like ex-<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/boehner-cries-for-pelosi-while-conservatives-weep-for-america" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Speaker John Boehner (R-OH)</a> have called the Freedom Caucus far-right kooks, lunatics, and other denigrating names.
In this latest battle against their moderate party members, it would have been easy to throw in the towel.
Yet as Congressman Dan Bishop (R-NC) explained in a statement via Twitter, he &#8220;came to Washington to change the status quo.&#8221; He and his other co-holdouts didn&#8217;t come to The Beltway to go-along and get-along. Bishop worked with the others to &#8220;cause the Republican Conference to reform rules and procedures, commit to specific policy strategies, and improve the distribution of conservative voices across key committees.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
My statement on today&#39;s agreement: <a href="https://t.co/wgedesD4LG">pic.twitter.com/wgedesD4LG</a>
&mdash; Rep. Dan Bishop (@RepDanBishop) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepDanBishop/status/1611451737713287174?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 6, 2023</a></blockquote>
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It should be noted that the rules package will be voted on in the coming week. That package will heavily decide how the new Congress works, but it is likely to pass given the GOP majority.
As mentioned, the term &#8220;hero&#8221; never really should be used for politicians because they so often disappoint. It is likely these 20 Republicans praised in this column will fail the American people at various points in the future.
Above all else, they still need to put in the actual work to defeat the Left in all its forms. Nobody should be putting their faith in the U.S. government — least of all Congress — to save the country.
Yet the first step toward that end could be the reforms introduced this week thanks to those who bucked the party.
In order to have a truly conservative Congress and federal government, there is much more work to do. It will take years, and more likely decades, to roll back the administrative state and stem the tide of social degradation advanced by The Uniparty.
For now, though, the 20 Republicans who held out in order to secure the first meaningful reform in decades can be found here:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
🇺🇸<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Heroes?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Heroes</a><a href="https://twitter.com/RepBoebert?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepBoebert</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/RepMattGaetz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepMattGaetz</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/RepAndyBiggsAZ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepAndyBiggsAZ</a><a href="https://twitter.com/EliCraneAZ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EliCraneAZ</a><a href="https://twitter.com/RepBobGood?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepBobGood</a><a href="https://twitter.com/RepRosendale?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepRosendale</a><a href="https://twitter.com/RepDanBishop?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepDanBishop</a><a href="https://twitter.com/Brecheen4OK?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Brecheen4OK</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/RepCloudTX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepCloudTX</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Rep_Clyde?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Rep_Clyde</a><a href="https://twitter.com/RepGosar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepGosar</a><a href="https://twitter.com/ByronDonalds?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@byrondonalds</a><a href="https://twitter.com/RepAndyHarrisMD?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepAndyHarrisMD</a><a href="https://twitter.com/VoteAPL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VoteAPL</a><a href="https://twitter.com/RepMaryMiller?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepMaryMiller</a><a href="https://twitter.com/RepRalphNorman?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepRalphNorman</a><a href="https://twitter.com/AndyOgles?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AndyOgles</a><a href="https://twitter.com/RepScottPerry?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepScottPerry</a><a href="https://twitter.com/RepChipRoy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepChipRoy</a><a href="https://twitter.com/SelfForCongress?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SelfForCongress</a> <a href="https://t.co/kC9bETRCUY">pic.twitter.com/kC9bETRCUY</a>
&mdash; Jewels Jones (@JewelsJonesLive) <a href="https://twitter.com/JewelsJonesLive/status/1611788566962794497?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2023</a></blockquote>
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The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

The 20 House Republicans Who Demanded Change And Won Are Seen As Heroes – Not Holdouts – To Many

Byron Donalds

Matt Gaetz

After days of negotiations and 15 roll call votes, California Rep. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kevin-mccarthy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kevin McCarthy</a> became <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/u-s-house-of-representatives" target="_blank" rel="noopener">House</a> speaker early Saturday morning after reportedly giving major concessions to a group of Republican holdouts increasing the influence of some of the chamber&#8217;s most conservative members.
McCarthy’s concessions include changes to how the House is run, placing members of the House Freedom Caucus on key committees, and the creation of a committee to conduct a major investigation into the FBI.
“I feel like the American people won. I feel that the House of Representatives will be a healthier institution,” Florida Rep. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/matt-gaetz" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Matt Gaetz</a>, who staunchly opposed McCarthy throughout the historic week, <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/01/07/freedom-caucus-earns-major-concessions-from-kevin-mccarthy/?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&amp;utm_medium=SocialFlow&amp;utm_source=NYPTwitter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the New York Post. “Many of these things had been resisted by Kevin McCarthy as early as Monday and now we have an exquisite rules package.”
While some critics accused the holdouts of grandstanding, in the end, McCarthy reportedly gave in to much of the demands of the bloc. According to Freedom Caucus Chairman Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA), the “juice was worth the squeeze.”
Perry, alongside other members of the opposition, <a href="https://twitter.com/RepScottPerry/status/1611713571053780994" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted lists</a> of concessions they had gained from McCarthy to earn their vote. These included getting a vote on a border security plan, a budget that doesn’t allow the debt ceiling to increase, an end to all COVID mandates and funding, a term limit vote, single subject bills, and allowing at least 72 hours given for members to read bills.
Another key provision is allowing for any member to introduce a motion to vacate the chair, meaning that members can demand a vote to remove the Speaker from the position. Another concession that was discussed throughout the week was creating an open amendment process to bills, making it easier for lawmakers to change bills during debate.
“Any power that limits the speaker’s power is a step in the right direction,” one Freedom Caucus staffer told the Post. “The Freedom Caucus is more relevant than ever, and McCarthy won’t be able to get anything done without our endorsement and support.”
Members of the Freedom Caucus will also reportedly be placed on the Rules Committee and the Appropriations Committee, committees crucial to how the House runs and how funding is doled out.
Another key concession given to the McCarthy holdouts was the guarantee that a Church-style committee would be formed to look into the politicization of the FBI. The Church Committee investigated CIA abuses in the 1970s, which led to the exposure of things like the infamous MKULTRA program.
“With the rules agreement we negotiated, we will have a powerful Church-style committee to go after the weaponization of the federal government &#8211; the FBI, DOJ, DHS, and all the rest,” Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepDanBishop/status/1611548615452901377" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “This is a victory for the Constitutional rights of all Americans.”
Russ Vought, a former Trump admin official and president of the Center for Renewing America, praised the holdouts for the concessions gained from McCarthy. “This agreement would not be possible but for the early and immediate five members who defined the art of the possible by publicly declaring their opposition to Mr. McCarthy,” Vought <a href="https://americarenewing.com/issues/russ-vought-statement-on-speakership-fight/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
The House will vote on the <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/house/house-postpones-vote-rules-package-monday-mccarthy-speaker" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rules package</a> on Monday, setting up another potential fight among Republicans. Texas Rep. Tony Gonzalez, a moderate, has already promised to vote against the rules package.

Vote For Speaker Of The House Stretches Into Fourth Day

Here Are The Concessions House Speaker Kevin McCarthy Gave To Republican Holdouts To Win Their Support

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