Tag: Freedom Caucus

Chamber chief: Congress’s hard-liners living in ‘fantasyland’

Chamber chief: Congress’s hard-liners living in ‘fantasyland’

Greg Nash

By Kevin Cirilli – 10/23/15 12:11 PM EDT

U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Thomas Donohue on Friday criticized ideologues in both parties for pushing their leaders too far to political extremes.

Donohue said that those on both ends of the political spectrum are living in a policy “fantasyland” and have prevented Congress from moving forward on a wide array of policy initiatives ranging from passing comprehensive tax and immigration reform, to reauthorizing the Export-Import Bank.

“The people on the far right and the far left who are living in a fantasyland when it comes to what we need to do … [to make the] American people thrive,” Donohue said at The Christian Science Monitor breakfast in Washington.

Continue reading “Chamber chief: Congress’s hard-liners living in ‘fantasyland’”

10 Freedom Caucus Members Publicly Reject Paul Ryan, Enough To Doom His Candidacy For Speaker

CREDIT: AP Photo/Evan Vucci

Paul Ryan has a big obstacle standing the way of becoming House Speaker: Math.

As a condition of him accepting the position of House Speaker, Ryan laid out a list of demands. Chief among them is that the Republican caucus gives up their ability to call a “Motion To Vacate The Chair,” which is basically a method of deposing a sitting speaker.

Another key demand from Ryan is that he secure the endorsement of all the major caucuses within the House GOP.

That won’t be an issue for Ryan with one big exception, the Freedom Caucus. The Freedom Caucus is comprised of about 40 hard-line members who want the House Republicans to be much more aggressive. They are the also the group who forced out Speaker John Boehner by threatening a Motion To Vacate The Chair.

According to Freedom Caucus rules, you need the support of four-fifths of the caucus to secure their endorsement. That means anyone who is opposed by more than 8 members will not be able to be endorsed by the group.

Already 10 Freedom Caucus members have publicly expressed their opposition to Ryan or his key demand, which is enough to sink his candidacy.

Ryan could either change his demands or any of these Representatives could change their position. But as it stands now, things are not looking up for Paul Ryan. Continue reading “10 Freedom Caucus Members Publicly Reject Paul Ryan, Enough To Doom His Candidacy For Speaker”

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