The Republican Representative for North Carolina, who is also the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, said on Tuesday that House GOP leadership does not have enough votes to pass a government funding bill.
The Hill reported that members of the Freedom Caucus met Tuesday night after GOP leaders pitched a new strategy to pass a stopgap spending bill, which would fund the government through February 16 and be paired with a six-year extension of funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The plan would also delay ObamaCare’s medical device and Cadillac taxes for two years, and the health insurance tax for one year starting in 2019.
“There is currently not enough support for the latest leadership initiative. We continue to work with them to find a way to reach consensus on a path forward,” Meadows said to The Hill reporter.
A wave of optimism surrounded the Republican leadership that they will have enough votes to pass the Continuing Resolution (CR) without having to rely on Democratic votes in the House.
According to The Hill, the Freedom Caucus, a band of roughly 30 conservative radicals, have remained divided over the proposed spending strategy.
The Freedom Caucus was not able to reach an official position on the CR, for which they need to have a consensus of 80% of the caucus.
After Tuesday night’s meeting Meadows said that the Freedom Caucus likely has enough votes to defeat the CR.
It is no secret that the group represents a key voting bloc in the House, which some members of the far-right caucus are using as a leverage to get a promise by the House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte that a conservative immigration bill will be put on the House floor.
The other part of the Freedom Caucus members wants to pass a short-term CR to fund the Pentagon at higher levels for the rest of 2018.
Be the first to comment