On Monday, POLITICO reported that some House Republicans are enraged with Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) for his key role in trying to broker a spending agreement with Democrats.
"Shelby is coming under heavy fire from conservatives for cutting one last deal with Democrats on a massive year-end spending bill, an effort supported by both Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and President Joe Biden," reported Caitlyn Emma, Burgess Everett, and Jordain Carney. "Yet the Alabamian’s fellow Republicans are calling him a fiscal sellout for trying to fund the government for much of next year before a chaotic GOP House takes over in January."
"House Freedom Caucus Chair Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) calls Shelby’s proposal a 'betrayal' and Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) describes the lead appropriator’s work as a 'new monument to himself,'" said the report. "Meanwhile, Senate Republicans huddled about reforming what they see as a broken budget process next year after Shelby and Senate Appropriations Chair Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) wrote much of the year-end bill behind closed doors."
Shelby, for his part, acknowledges the bill could help Democrats politically in the short run — but argues it's necessary and that "his work will help save the House GOP majority from itself next year, staving off months of bitter infighting over federal spending bills."
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“If we’re successful, we’ll have probably done them a favor,” said Shelby to POLITICO. “There probably won’t be much thanks for it.” Asked about Roy's attack, he said "I don't want a monument. Monuments are for pigeons and dogs."
"Even Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas), who’s set to chair the House Appropriations Committee next year, backed out of negotiating with Shelby, Leahy and current panel chair Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) on the year-end deal," said the report. "'I was surprised that they didn’t enter into negotiations, because they are the Republicans in the House,' Shelby said. 'They should have been at the table, but they chose not to come. That’s up to them.'"
