Members of the House Freedom Caucus “failed” in the debt ceiling battle, according to Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO).
Buck underscored that the caucus, of which he is a member, still retains significant influence among House Republicans, but was unable to push Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) to secure a clear conservative victory during negotiations with the White House.
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“I think the House Freedom Caucus, with a five-vote majority in the House, still retains a lot of influence in the House. The key is that we use that influence in a way that brings us conservative results. And I think that’s what we tried to do with this case. And we failed,” Buck told CNN’s State of the Union.
Buck was one of the 71 Republicans who voted against the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 last week. Notably, more Democrats (165 votes) backed the measure than Republicans (149), a point Buck emphasized.
“This bill is a Democrat bill. It is a bill that not only avoided a default but also locked in the progressive gains that the president made in the last few years,” Buck added.
Biden signed the bill Saturday after it cleared the Senate on Thursday. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen forecasted the government would run out of cash to meet all its obligations by June 5 if no action was taken. The bill suspends the debt ceiling until January 2025.
Under the bill, nondefense and nonveteran discretionary spending growth will be effectively kept down until 2024 before increasing by roughly 1% in 2025. In its present form, the bill could reduce the deficit by $1.5 trillion over the next 10 years, according to an estimate from the Congressional Budget Office.
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Some, such as Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC), dangled the threat deploying a motion to vacate to oust him from the speakership. Buck demurred when pressed about whether he would back that effort.
“I think there has to be a consensus in the conference Republican conference,” Buck said. “I applaud Kevin McCarthy for saying he wants to bring people back together again. Let’s see if he does that in a way that involves spending responsibly in the future.”
