'Not that freaking hard': Hardliners crank up pressure on speaker as GOP 'fractures' grow

Weeks after House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) took over the seat after US Rep. Kevin McCarthy's (R-CA) ouster, infighting among House Republicans has yet to weaken.

In a Tuesday, December 5 report, Axios emphasizes, "Hopes that Johnson's election would calm the underlying tensions that triggered" McCarthy's removal "are quickly dissipating," as GOP "hardliners are starting to crank up the pressure on their hand-picked" Johnson, "warning that anything less than an aggressive push to the right means caving to Democrats."

A Republican lawmaker told the news outlet, "'I don't know what's gotten more conservative' since McCarthy's ouster. I think Kevin might have actually been able to extract some more conservative wins in the negotiations with the Senate."

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Per the report, hardliners are calling on their GOP colleagues "to fight harder — even by risking a government shutdown in the new year — to force the Senate and White House's hand on spending."

Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), who recently slammed fellow Republicans over the lawmakers' inability to pass any "meaningful" legislation.

Axios reports the Texas congressman "dismissed the notion that conservatives are pushing for unachievable goals," saying, "As I've said from the very beginning, we have to pick a fight and mean it. That's it. This is not that freaking hard."

Furthermore, two sources told the news outlet, "Johnson called on members to unify in Tuesday's conference meeting, saying they won't be able to accomplish anything if fractures continue."

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Axios' full report is here.