House Freedom Caucus members are hinting that the passage of the final appropriations deal could have significant ramifications for Republicans, particularly Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) as a motion to vacate hovers over his head.
The House passed the spending deal on Friday with 112 Republicans voting against the legislation, and several hard-line conservatives have come out swinging against Johnson and their GOP colleagues for considering the bill that they say is a “not a Republican piece of legislation.”
While they dodged direct questions on whether a motion to vacate is on the table, several members indicated ahead of the vote that the passage of the final six appropriations bills will have disastrous consequences for leadership.
“This bill, if it passes, will likely determine who controls the House of Representatives,” Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) told reporters at a House Freedom Caucus conference before the vote. “And this bill will most certainly determine who the next speaker is.”
Ogles also claimed that House GOP leadership did not have enough votes to pass the legislation on Thursday night, which had stoked fears that the House may be unable to avoid a government shutdown set for midnight Friday.
A motion to vacate, once a rare final move against the chamber’s top leader, became a flashpoint for Republicans after eight of them joined Democrats in ousting former Speaker and California Rep. Kevin McCarthy. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) became one of the first GOP members to publicly call for a new speaker ahead of the vote, urging people to “stay tuned” as to whether she would introduce a motion to vacate.
Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good (R-VA) avoided questions about a motion to vacate or a purge of GOP leadership during the conference, stating that this is “not a personnel discussion.”
Johnson had worked tirelessly over the last week to garner support from his conference to get the spending deal over the finish line. He touted several policy riders and cuts in spending as victories to persuade enough GOP members to vote in favor of the bill.
Many of the Freedom Caucus members said Friday that anyone who votes for the bill “owns it.” Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) said that he was tired of excuses from his conference.
“There’s always an excuse for Republicans to fail,” Roy said.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The Texas lawmaker added that any GOP members who voted in favor of the bill are putting the Republican majority at risk in November.
“I want to be very clear: Any Republican who votes for this bill, they own it, and they are the ones risking the election,” Roy said.