They accuse him of being too open to compromise with President Joe Biden and his Democrats, who also control the US Senate. Some say they want a leader who is willing to force a government shutdown to cut spending.
That raises the prospect that the two parties will fail to reach a deal when the federal government comes up against the $31.4 trillion debt limit this year. A lack of agreement or even a prolonged standoff risks a default that would shake the global economy.
Representative Scott Perry, chairman of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus, said he changed his vote to support McCarthy after McCarthy agreed to make deep changes to the way the House approves spending.
“You have changes to how we’re going to spend and allocate money that’s going to be historic,” Perry said. “We don’t want the clean debt ceiling to go out and keep footing the bill without any recourse to control spending when Democrats control the White House and control the Senate.”
Congress needs to raise the debt limit to pay for spending already authorized. An increase in the credit limit does not automatically authorize new expenditure.
House Republicans proposed a set of rules that would formalize the concessions granted to hardliners. These could prevent mandatory spending increases for programs like Social Security and Medicare, guarantee lawmakers 72 hours to review bills before voting, and empower a single lawmaker to vote on ousting the speaker. Can make
One of Perry’s constituents in Hummelstown, Pennsylvania, applauded his switch.
“It’s good for my business and good for the United States of America,” said Randall Miller, a 65-year-old men’s wear store owner who voted for Perry but was troubled by his stance against McCarthy.
