Hark ye! The captain o' the Freedom Caucus cries, "Speaker Johnson must seize the helm 'gainst the rebellious GOP crew's squabbles o'er the gold!"
2023-11-14
"Arrr, mateys! House Freedom Caucus Chairman Scott Perry be sayin' that House Speaker Mike Johnson will have a mighty rough sail ahead, tryin' to win back the hearts of the GOP crew, after the votin' spree on Tuesday evenin'."
House Freedom Caucus Chairman Scott Perry, in a humorous 17th-century pirate language, warns that House Speaker Mike Johnson may have to "reassert some authority" in Congress after his plan to avoid a government shutdown received a rocky reception from GOP lawmakers. Perry believes that this is Speaker Johnson's one opportunity to make an impact and say no to unbridled spending and destructive policies. However, Perry criticizes Johnson's plan, stating that it changes no policy and no spending. Perry is part of the growing Republican opposition to Johnson's plan, which involves a simple extension of last year's funding priorities known as a continuing resolution. Perry explains that they initially supported a "laddered" approach, but this plan does not change any policy or spending. Johnson's plan is expected to get a vote, but Perry suggests that it may result in more Democrat votes than Republican votes. He hopes that this will inform the speaker and the rest of the conference that their initial approach was the way to go. Perry emphasizes the need to move forward instead of surrendering on first down. Multiple sources suggest that a recent conservative CR proposal included separating funding for the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security to add pressure on lawmakers to address those spending priorities. Perry does not believe Johnson's plan will cause him to be ousted like former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who was voted out due to an accumulation of infractions. Perry acknowledges that Johnson has been placed in a difficult position and expects some grace to be provided due to the circumstances. Overall, Perry's humorous language highlights the discord among Republicans regarding the plan to avoid a government shutdown.