GOP Leaders Struggle To Smooth Relations With Some Members Over Debt Ceiling Package

U.S. House Republican leadership was reportedly scrambling Wednesday afternoon to smooth relations with members of the conference's far-right Freedom Caucus after a surprise defection by members of the group left the majority temporarily unable to move legislation.

The caucus, as a whole, is unhappy with the terms of the debt ceiling package Speaker Kevin McCarthy negotiated with President Joe Biden and on Tuesday 11 members used their votes to make their disappointment clear.

"It happened organically, it happened fast on the floor," said Rep. Josh Brecheen (R-OK2) in an interview Wednesday.

Rep. Brecheen is a member of the Freedom Caucus, although he did not join in the action that prevented the passage of a procedural measure to bring several GOP bills to the floor for consideration. The move brought all legislative activity to a grinding halt and brought leaders of the Freedom Caucus to McCarthy's office Wednesday.

"We are seeing negotiations are happening between the Speaker and the Freedom Caucus."

Rep. Brecheen said the discussions are about reminding McCarthy of the commitments he made in January to get the caucus's support for his nomination.

"The heart of that agreement was about the appropriations segment, about going back to the normal process for 12 appropriation bills, going back to 2022 spending levels," said Brecheen.

Brecheen said the debt deal gave away too much, despite what McCarthy claimed moments after the House passed the Fiscal Responsibility Act.

"Tonight, we all made history," Speaker McCarthy (R-CA) said, "because this is the biggest cut and savings this Congress has ever voted for."

Brecheen and other conservatives don't believe it's enough.

"We’ve got to be people of action, we can’t be people of words -- that’s theater, that’s actors on a stage," said Brecheen, "it’s disgusting to most Americans, it’s disgusting to me."

Another key part of the agreement that gave McCarthy the gavel was making it potentially much easier to remove the Speaker.

Brecheen said there has been some mention within the caucus of making such an attempt, but said that, personally, he feels it’s still possible to keep the commitments that were made, and he’s still willing to give McCarthy a chance to do that.