Former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy took a shot at conservative GOP lawmakers, many of whom were responsible for his ouster from the top spot last year.
The California Republican who reacted to his removal by quitting Congress joined Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo on Monday’s edition of “Mornings With Maria” to discuss the latest developments in the presidential primaries as well as the spending deal to keep the government funded.
McCarthy said that the actions of the group of principled conservatives have prevented Republicans “from being able to govern” and accused them of “locking in the Democratic policies” of Nancy Pelosi as his successor Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) could be facing a similar revolt to the one that toppled him.
(Video: Fox News)
Asked by Bartiromo about the latest continuing resolution stopgap to keep the government funded and criticism that House Republicans are “kicking the can down the road” the ex-speaker put the blame squarely on the Freedom Caucus members.
Responding to a clip for Rep. Mike McCaul (R-TX) who she interviewed on Sunday, Bartiromo said that she’s now having a case of “deja vu” and referred to criticism of his debt ceiling deal last year with one of those blasting it being Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis who just dropped out of the presidential race.
McCarthy responded by defending the deal, adding that she was asking the “wrong question” of the wrong Republican with her discussion with McCaul, “You really should be asking the Freedom Caucus. They are the ones who have stopped the Republicans from being able to govern.”
“So what they are doing is they’re locking in the Democratic policies,” he continued. “They’re actually spending more money now than if we’d go to the debt ceiling numbers. That would mean government would spend less, we could put Republican policies in but they continue to stymie this majority to be able to do anything.”
“It really comes down to what’s a true conservative and I look to Ronald Reagan,” McCarthy said, invoking the name of the iconic Republican president. “A conservative is one that can actually govern in a conservative way but what you’re finding now is what they’re doing is doing nothing but it locks in Democratic Pelosi policies, it locks in the others.”
“I don’t think they should continue to move to CRs. They should actually follow the numbers that were in the debt ceiling, which is lower than what they’re spending today. You get to reform it with Republican policies, because you’re in the majority now in the House. You get to move forward and layout and show the American public why they should give you more seats in the House and actually capture the Senate.”
He also suggested that the staunchly conservative lawmakers were hurting the military at a time of increasing hostilities in the Mediterranean. “I think this a time to show you can govern if you’re gonna have the majority, lead,” he said.
McCarthy’s remarks show that he continues to hold a grudge against Freedom Caucus members with his armchair quarterbacking after he cut and ran, contributing to the further shrinking down of what was already a razor-thin Republican House majority.
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