Former Majority Leader Eric Cantor-who, like Boehner, was eaten alive by the same Tea Party voices he stoked in order to secure a House majority-put the conundrum well in a New York Times op-ed this weekend.
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In another unexpected move, Boehner said Wednesday that House Republicans will vote to identify his successor next week.
Passing a six-year highway funding bill that changes the USA tax structure will be a top priority if he’s elected speaker, Mr McCarthy said Tuesday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe”.
“But it would take courage, because you have to let spending expire”, he said.
The anxiety is a sharp departure from the heady days after the 2014 midterm elections, when GOP leaders promised they could govern effectively and present a compelling vision for the country.
Support from Democrats also helped power the measure through the Senate, all of the opposition coming from conservative Republicans.
Those differences will become more pronounced with new House leadership eager to take on President Barack Obama and their Senate counterparts, setting up high-profile fiscal showdowns over the debt limit and budget.
Missing from the contest is the lone woman in the GOP leadership, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who considered running but announced Monday that she would not.
Perhaps Michael Needham, CEO of the conservative Heritage Action for America, best summed up the problem faced by conservatives in his appearance on Fox News Sunday, when he asserted, “We need a Republican leadership that is showing conservative values. If it starts becoming part of our brand or our party, then it hurts everybody”. The House then convenes at the beginning of the new Congress, and each party officially nominates their respective candidates. No. 3 Senate GOP leader John Thune of South Dakota says voters should aim their frustration at Obama. He quickly added: “Obviously, you don’t want to see our guys beating the heck out of each other“.
House Republicans met behind closed doors Tuesday evening in the Capitol basement in a special meeting called to discuss the path forward for the caucus. If McCarthy fails to get commitments from the vast majority of conservatives, it’s possible a small group could derail his candidacy and deal him a very public embarrassment.
Mr Boehner said that he told Republicans he hasn’t decided when to hold leadership elections. The group – which has been a persistent thorn in Boehner’s side as he’s tried to lead the divided House – has not formally endorsed a candidate yet for the position. The threat of a government shutdown will persist in December and the next speaker will need to find a way to circumvent breakaway Republicans, he said.
But a few House conservatives have a message for McCarthy: Not so fast.
In addition to McCarthy, Rep. Daniel Webster, R-Fla., said he will also run for speaker.
These insurgents often sound like they’d like to discard the inconvenience of our (purposely) inefficient democratic system and rule us based on their beliefs – which the majority do not share. “Things are not that different”.
“Today was a win for the Washington cartel, and another setback for the American people”, said Sen.
Even so, McConnell seems firmly entrenched as majority leader, a post to which his colleagues unanimously voted him last January as he began his fourth Senate decade.
GOP lawmakers and conservatives blamed federal student loans and aid for allowing colleges to boost tuitions.
“It takes two to tango”, said Sen. Our supporters realized we were serious and rewarded us for the effort.
If a Republican president comes around, though?
In a statement from the National Treasury Employees Union, National President Tony Reardon reiterated the union’s stance that a shutdown “benefits no one and achieves nothing”.
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McConnell said that this year, Democrats objected to spending bills drafted under existing tight budget caps – known as sequestration – because they want more spending for domestic programs. And since senators represent states rather than districts and have a far wider range of voters, they usually espouse more moderate views than representatives.
