Officials of the hard-line conservative House Freedom Caucus warned House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) shortly after his reelection Friday, even though he voted to keep the gavel. Shots were sent.
The letter was led by Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris (R-Md.) and Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and was signed by 11 members. they said they voted Johnson became chairman “to steadfastly support President Trump and ensure the timely certification of the electors” in connection with Monday's certification of the 2024 election.
“We have taken this action despite our sincere reservations regarding the Chairman's performance over the past 15 months,” the letter said.
The signatories said Prime Minister Boris Johnson will carry out work, including changing the Commons' calendar so that it will sit five days a week instead of three-and-a-half days a week for the first eight days of the new session. He said he should have promised a range of measures to speed up the process. meeting. Also, any settlement should reduce spending and the deficit, lawmakers should be allowed to introduce amendments to the bill, and leadership should give lawmakers time to read and discuss proposed legislation. He also said that the 72-hour rule should be followed.
The letter also said Johnson should have promised not to rely on Democratic support to pass the bill and not advance legislation without the support of a majority of Republicans.
“Now, Speaker Johnson must prove that he will not fail to enact President Trump's bold agenda,” the letter states, outlining seven areas that any proposed legislation should cover.
The report calls for fully securing the southern border to deter illegal immigration, while implementing border security reforms without expanding immigration or amnesty, reducing the budget deficit and putting the country on a path to fiscal balance. It called for cutting spending and reversing Biden administration policies, including student loan “relief.” ” and the rules for electric cars.
It's also worth noting that the letter “will not increase federal borrowing until real spending cuts are agreed to and implemented.”
In December, more than 30 Republicans voted against a short-term spending bill that included a last-minute debt ceiling hike. President-elect Trump urged Republicans to raise the debt ceiling before he took office to prevent Democrats from using it as leverage next year. However, Republican fiscal hawks were reluctant to raise the national borrowing limit without reducing federal spending, and the bill failed to pass.
The members also called for a “suspension of stock trading by members of the Diet.”
The number of signatories (11) is noteworthy considering the new criteria for forcing a vote to remove a chairperson.
Leaders of the House Freedom Caucus and anti-chaos conservatives of the Main Street Caucus entered into an agreement in November that raised the threshold for triggering an instant vote on removing the Speaker from office to nine, the House of Representatives announced Wednesday. The rules package text reflects that agreement.
“We can debate character later, but for now there is no room for error on the policies that the American people demanded when they voted for President Trump – the policies needed to save our country,” the letter said. is written.
The letter includes Andy Biggs (Arizona), Scott Perry (Pennsylvania), Clay Higgins (Louisiana), Michael Cloud (Texas), Andy Ogles (Tennessee), Republican Rep. Eli Crane of Arizona and Eric also signed. Burleson (Missouri), Ralph Norman (South Carolina), Andrew Clyde (Georgia). Mr. Higgins, a fellow Louisiana native, was a supporter of Mr. Johnson, but almost all of them declined to say whether they would support Mr. Johnson ahead of the House vote.
