House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., defended the spending deal forged with the Senate's Democratic majority, telling Fox News that House Republicans "have to govern," and understand the realities of a historically thin two-vote majority.
Johnson underlined he remains a "conservative hardliner" just as he was as a rank-and-file congressman, despite objections from House Freedom Caucus members – several of whom tanked a procedural rule vote on Wednesday to express their objection.
On "The Story," anchor Martha MacCallum noted she has heard criticisms of Johnson's deal from conservative Reps. Chip Roy, R-Texas, and Ralph Norman, R-S.C.
Johnson said the two lawmakers remain good friends, and that he has reiterated to them his conservative credentials and his position that the deal, while not a conservative legislative pass of "Hail Mary" proportions, takes the right steps toward fiscal responsibility.
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"We negotiated a cut from some of the side deals that were previously determined," he said.
"So we're adding another $16 billion in cuts. We're taking $10 billion out of the IRS slush fund, another $6.1 [billion] out of the COVID slush funds – These were big priorities for the Democrats, we've added that in. So we've improved it and what we're doing now is putting ourselves in a position to argue for our priorities…"
He noted that while House Republicans have the majority, it is still one of the thinnest in history, and that the chamber "must work with the numbers we have and get the best [deal] we can."
"I'm telling these guys, and I'll tell the American people, we're going to work every single day to get the best possible outcome," he said.
Nonetheless, lawmakers on Johnson's right, like Rep. Andrew Clyde of Georgia, have condemned the spending deal as a "sham."
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"Don’t be fooled. The DC Uniparty’s spending deal is a total sham… Our nation simply cannot afford the Swamp’s reckless spending habits," Clyde, a Freedom Caucus member, tweeted earlier this week.
To that end, Norman, Roy, and a handful of other Freedom Caucus members including Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Matt Rosendale of Montana, joined Democrats in opposing the procedural rule vote earlier Wednesday.
House Republican Conference Vice Chairman Blake Moore, R-Utah, also voted no, giving him the ability to bring the vote up again in a future session.
Speaking to reporters Wednesday, House Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good, R-Va., said the move was "a statement just of a protest to say, hey, we're not going to just go along to get along like everything's OK and pass messaging bills that are going to go nowhere."
"My hope is to persuade the speaker and the leadership and the entire Republican conference to not follow through with the deal as it's been announced," Good said.
Johnson told "The Story" that, the objections aside, the House Republican majority is engaged in a game of inches, while he and much of the caucus wishes they could make the sweeping adjustments many on the right are calling for.
"What we achieved out of this is the first cut in non-defense spending in over ten years. I mean, this is not a Hail Mary pass that I'd like to throw to win the game. This is as we used to say in football… three yards and a cloud of dust," he said.
"We have to play and advance the ball incrementally up the field."
