US House Republican hardliners challenge Johnson over spending deal gazette.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from gazette.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Republican U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson faced his first direct challenge from his own caucus on Wednesday, as hardline conservatives blocked a Republican bill to protest his bipartisan spending deal with top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer. A dozen far-right Republicans, mostly members of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus, joined Democrats to defeat an unrelated measure allowing debate and votes on passage of Republican resolutions opposing Biden policies on electric vehicles and other topics. Members of the House of Representatives group, who hope to impose lower spending and border restrictions, said they were voting to protest Johnson's $1.59 trillion top-line spending deal with Schumer, which has raised hopes that lawmakers can avert a partial government shutdown in just over a week.