In the wake of the passage of a continuing resolution (C.R.) by the House and the Senate, that will keep the federal government running for another three weeks, Republican leaders and fiscally conservative members of Congress appear to be not getting along.
A group of 54 House Republicans voted against this latest C.R., which cut $6 billion in spending, up from the six members who voted against the first resolution two weeks ago. House Republicans like Michele Bachmann (MI), Mike Pence (IN), and Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) (AZ), and Senate Republicans like Jim DeMint (SC), Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) (KY), and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) (FL) voted against the stopgap measure.
These fiscal conservatives, supported by the Tea Party, have been critical of the Republican leadership’s decision not to use the C.R. spending plan as leverage against the Democrats and the White House on the defunding issues, such as the over $105 billion in continuing Obamacare spending, and funding for Planned Parenthood. Conservative critics of Speaker John Boehner (OH) and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (VA) say that failure of the leadership to act now with deep cuts will lead Republicans on the path to becoming the minority once again. In addition, conservatives worry that if Republican leaders are happy with “chump change” spending cuts, as they “compromise” with the Democrats, they will be likely to cave in when discussions begin about the debt ceiling within a couple of weeks.
Further, those voting against the C.R. are focused on the importance of seizing the day, or capitalizing on the emotional energy coming from the Tea Party now. Congressman Pence stated, “By giving liberals in the Senate another three weeks of negotiations, we will only delay a confrontation that must come.”
In the Senate, Marco Rubio articulated his frustration with the political games in Washington in an interview with conservative talk host, Mark Levin. Rubio has remained steadfast in his belief that Washington politicians from both parties need to change their behavior. Clearly, holding the federal government together two weeks at a time is not what he had in mind when he ran for the Senate.
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Although House Budget Chairman, Congressman Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) (R-WI), voted for the C.R.’s, he essentially agrees with Senator Rubio. He would like to see greater amounts of cutting now, but, in a different take on the Republican leadership’s decision, trusts passing the stopgap measures. Ryan believes that cutting $10 billion, as meager as that may seem, is a step in the right direction because Congress never really cuts spending at all. He views the C.R.’s as the start of turning the ship around.
Ryan also believes that the continual voting for the C.R.’s reminds Americans that the need for them in the first place is due to the fact that the Democrats didn’t bother to pass a budget last year, i.e. didn’t do their job while they were racking up trillions in debt. The Republicans are, in a sense, cleaning up after them, and want to move on to their own budget, which Ryan will present this spring. Both Ryan and Eric Cantor have strongly suggested that the C.R. just passed will be the last temporary measure before Congress moves on to tackle the nation’s big fiscal issues. Perhaps the Republican leaders now know they can go no further without the support of the fiscal conservatives and the Tea Party. Perhaps…
Indeed, many conservatives believe that, following the last two years of a Democratic majority, during which conservative ideas were not even permitted in discussions behind many closed doors, Republican leaders should have taken a harder stance, drawn the line in the sand, forcing their Democratic colleagues, and the White House, to show how unwilling they are to make responsible cuts necessary for our country’s fiscal soundness. Many have referred to Republican leaders as “fearful” and “weak.” But, would a government shutdown give the Democrats a political “win? Is it important here to be principled, or a good strategist? Is it possible to be both?
The process of the C.R.’s, as “chump-changy” as their end result admittedly may be, is serving at least one purpose: it is emphasizing the divide among the Democrats. The top two Democrats in the House, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD), have split on both C.R. votes, with Pelosi voting against both and Hoyer voting in favor of the measures. Perhaps more importantly, the divided Democratic siblings seem to have been abandoned by their parent- aka, the President. Obama’s lack of leadership in the nation’s budgetary woes can only be surpassed by his lack of leadership in just about everything else. The C.R.’s, and the publicity which surrounds them, is serving to highlight the disarray of the Democrats to the constituents of the Democrats– that would be the thugs trashing state capitols, illegal immigrants, and people living off the government.
The Republican “family” conflict is a defining moment for the party. The Tea Party’s influence remains strong and the debate about how serious we are is nothing less than energizing. This debate itself is where we need to be.
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