Alabama Congressman Mike Rogers characterized five House members from his own party as “clowns that don’t know what they want except attention” after the group blocked a measure to advance a military spending bill as a government shutdown looms.
“It’s illustrative that we’ve got five clowns that don’t know what they want except attention,” Rogers, a Republican and the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said of the vote, according to Politico.
Embattled House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., tried to push the defense spending bill through he House but the a procedural vote failed due to five Republicans — Reps. Andy Biggs of Arizona, Dan Bishop of North Carolina, Ken Buck of Colorado, Ralph Norman of South Carolina and Matt Rosendale of Montana — stalling the measure.
Without agreeing to stopgap measures to fund the government, a shutdown will go into effect in 12 days.
Some far-right Republicans are holding up funding bills to extract more concessions from McCarthy. The group has already gotten McCarthy to agree to cut spending by 1 percent over last year’s levels along with harsher border security policies.
Other Republican congressmen besides Rogers have been critical of the far-right faction’s stance.
“That’s not good legislation. And that’s blackmail,” said House Rules Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla. “So hey, if there’s … nothing in this bill you disagree with, tell me why you’re voting no. There’s no justification.”
