There was the concern that when McCarthy allowed a rule change to allow a single member to trigger a vote that could remove him from power, the hard right would harness that opportunity. Instead, they seized control of the House to block a pro-gas-stove bill.
Republicans had begun a campaign to save their old gas stoves after a study said having them in a home could cause increased health problems for children with asthma – and aConsumer Product Safety Commission member suggested that products be made safer, and any products that can't should be banned.
But even a strident war against President Joe Biden's administration takes a back seat to the internal war between the right and the far right.
"They were furious that McCarthy had bucked them and their demands for deep spending cuts in order to get Democratic support" in the Debt Ceiling deal, wrote Jacobs. "The result was that the business of the House ground to a halt, with rebels such as [Rep] Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and [Rep.] Lauren Boebert (R-CO) tweeting, 'We hold the floor.'
"After all, without these hard-right Republicans, McCarthy had no majority, and things weren’t going to get any easier in the future. 'We have a short majority,' said [Rep.] Kelly Armstrong (R-ND), an ally of McCarthy’s, of the speaker’s four-vote margin. 'We’re about to very possibly lose two members in the very near future' — a reference to both the pending resignation of Chris Stewart from Utah, to take care of his ailing wife, and the indictment of New York’s George Santos."
So, the House is on hold, with no votes that can be held, and no legislation that can be passed.
Their demands are that McCarthy be further constrained from making any other bipartisan deals. That means the upcoming Farm Bill reauthorization could ultimately stop funding the subsidies given to farmers and ranchers that keep American food affordable.
“There was an agreement in January, and it was violated in the debt ceiling bill,” Jacobs cited Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO), who complained to reporters.
“The Indians who sold Manhattan got a better deal,” whined Gaetz to Steve Bannon on his video blog.
Read the full piece in New York Magazine.
