Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is still five votes short of leading the House, but he's already threatening his GOP colleagues.
Taking to Twitter on Tuesday, McCarthy pledged that no Republican senator that signs off on the budget would have their bills brought before the House.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), the House Whip, wrote a letter to Senate Republican Colleagues informing them that "The American People did not elect us — any of us — to continue the status quo in Washington, as this bill will undoubtedly do," the letter says. It was sent before the omnibus spending bill details were released, so the House Republicans don't even know what's in the bill.
"Further, we are obligated to inform you that if any omnibus passes in the remaining days of this Congress, we will oppose and whip opposition to any legislative priority of those Senators who vote for this bill — including the Republican leader. We will oppose any rule, any consent request, suspension voice vote, or roll call vote of any such Senate bill, and will otherwise do everything in our power to thwart even the smallest legislative and policy efforts of those senators," the letter continues.
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McCarthy retweeted the letter on Tuesday morning in full support.
"Agreed," he said. "Except no need to whip—when I’m Speaker, their bills will be dead on arrival in the House if this nearly $2T monstrosity is allowed to move forward over our objections and the will of the American people."
CNN's Melanie Zanona explained, "McCarthy has been facing pressure from his right flank to take a harder line on the spending bill and stand up to [Senate Leader Mitch] McConnell and the Senate GOP." In the past, Republicans have been unwilling to go up against McConnell given he controls a lot of political money.
The last time Republicans pledged to block any and all bills from moving through Congress they were labeled the "do nothing Congress" led by "the party of no." At the time even Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) told Republicans that they had to stand for "something."
It was a successful strategy for Republicans at the end of Barack Obama's presidency, Politico wrote in 2016. But it happened at a time when Republicans were in control of the Senate. If the House becomes the foe of the Senate and the White House and they spend two years conducting useless hearings of an overtly partisan nature, they run the risk of alienating donors and voters.
