Republican leadership is bracing for yet another week where they’ll need to unite a splintered conference – this time on a series of spending bills that will set the tone for an autumn showdown with the United States Senate.
The House is expected to begin votes on two spending measures to fund military construction and veterans’ affairs programs as well as agriculture and other related agencies this week, but familiar divisions over spending are rearing their head after members of the right flank have been warning for weeks they need to see more concessions before rallying behind the appropriations bills while some moderates bristled at the prospect of anti-abortion provisions.
A handful of members from the conservative House Freedom Caucus have balked at the spending level in the agriculture bill, arguing it’s too high even as one of their own members – Republican Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland – shepherded the bill through committee. Leaders are looking at ways to use amendments in the House Rules Committee or on the floor to further slash spending, but it’s a delicate balance to ensure they don’t lose more moderate members in the process. And there are still questions about whether the votes exist to pass the rule for the military construction bill, which is slated to come up Wednesday afternoon.
Leaders can only afford to lose four votes assuming full attendance.
“We have a lot of very intense conservative friends who’d like to see dramatic cuts, but you have to be practical,” Rep. Frank Lucas, a Republican from Oklahoma, said. “We’ll see how practical we are this week.”
Ahead of the potentially nail-biter votes, leadership has been working to get a better gauge on where the Freedom Caucus stands; members of the hardline group were seen meeting in House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s office Wednesday early afternoon.
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