The leader of the House Freedom Caucus, Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), is calling on House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) to “reassert his authority” amid an internal fight among House Republicans over a proposed spending deal.
Meadows goaded Ryan in comments to reporters on Wednesday, saying the Speaker should stop the chaos in his GOP conference by showing more leadership.
“He’s got to be the Speaker,” Meadows said, “and he’s got to assert his authority and make sure that what the American people sent us here to do — and that’s to actually accomplish something and not just maintain chaos — is adhered to.”
The infighting comes after President Trump and GOP leaders reached a two-year agreement with Democrats and the White House to avert a government shutdown. Hardline conservatives in the Freedom Caucus drafted a letter to Ryan, saying the deal was “fiscally irresponsible” and could exceed $400 billion.
Meadows also said that he was in “frequent communication” with the White House “on possible ways to nominate our concerns.” He singled out policymakers for failing to make changes and said that Congress was not taking responsibility for fiscal responsibility.
“We cannot continue to kick the can down the road and not take responsibility,” he said. “It’s up to the Members of Congress to stand up whether they’re in the leadership or in the rank and file.”
