House Speaker Mike Johnson's decision to cater to the desires to the far-right wing members of his caucus is creating a whole new set of problems for the Louisiana Republican.
According to a report from Politico, Rep. Rob Bresnahan (R-PA) has served notice to the speaker that he can't vote for a budget proposal that currently includes major cuts to entitlements because it could cripple his re-election hopes.
In a statement issued Friday, Bresnahan claimed, "I ran for Congress under a promise of always doing what is best for the people of Northeastern Pennsylvania. If a bill is put in front of me that guts the benefits my neighbors rely on, I will not vote for it. Pennsylvania’s Eighth District chose me to advocate for them in Congress. These benefits are promises that were made to the people of NEPA and where I come from, people keep their word.”
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With Johnson sitting on a slim margin in the House, and Democrats offering no help, the loss of another GOP vote could doom the budget bill.
Politico is reporting that the Pennsylvania Republican is not alone in complaining that right-wing Freedom Caucus members are driving the negotiations.
"Johnson and fellow GOP leaders are facing rising anger from vulnerable Republicans after agreeing to demands from their hard-right flank to force deeper spending cuts of $2 trillion in the budget resolution — which, if adopted, will dictate how much committees need to cut from programs under their jurisdiction to pay for the larger reconciliation legislation," the report states.
The report notes that Bresnahan warned the leadership over a month ago of an impending revolt, and now Johnson is "facing the immediate challenge of persuading more moderate members to back the plan, which he wants to put on the House floor when Congress returns from recess the final week of February."
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