Republicans Promise at Tea Party Rally to Stand Firm on Spending
March 31, 2011, 4:31 PM EDTBy Lisa Lerer
March 31 (Bloomberg) -- Tea Party-backed Republican lawmakers promised at a Washington rally to stand firm on pledges to slash federal spending and resist compromises with Democrats, even if the result is a government shutdown.
“If liberals in the Senate would rather play political games and shut down the government instead of making a small down payment on fiscal discipline and reform, I say: shut it down,” Representative Mike Pence, an Indiana Republican, told dozens of Tea Party supporters gathered outside the Capitol today.
The event marked the first official Tea Party rally since the fiscally conservative activists propelled Republicans to gains in last year’s elections. Tea Party support helped elect 87 new Republicans to the House, ending Democratic control of the Chamber.
Now, the activists are demanding the new House majority make good on their campaign promises by refusing to support a compromise budget package currently being negotiated by leaders of both parties.
As Tea Party supporters waving “Don’t Tread on Me” flags protested amid an intermittent rain, aides to House Speaker John Boehner, an Ohio Republican, met inside the Capitol with Democratic counterparts to discuss legislation that could result in total spending cuts of about $33 billion in the 2011 fiscal year.
The compromise package falls short of the $61 billion plan passed by the House last month. An agreement on spending is needed to stave off a government shutdown on April 8, when current funding authority expires.
Tea Party activists have promised to challenge any Republican they deem not conservative enough on spending issues -- including Boehner.
Targeting Boehner
“There is no other way to put this,” wrote Judson Phillips, founder of Tea Party Nation, in a blog post. “The Tea Party movement should find a candidate to run against John Boehner in 2012 and should set as a goal to defeat in a primary the sitting Speaker of the House of Representatives.”
At today’s rally, a series of Republican lawmakers pledged allegiance to Tea Party principals as they stood on a small stage decorated with a banner reading “Remember your promises - - we do.”
“If we can’t keep our pledge, we deserve to be thrown out of office,” said Representative Louie Gohmert, a Texas Republican.
The spending fight, said Pence, was a “defining moment” for the new Republican House majority.
“It will be a first win for taxpayers that could set the stage for larger victories,” Pence said.
Balancing Act
Boehner has sought since assuming the speakership to tamp down unrest within his ranks from those pushing for spending cuts and other measures more sweeping than the Democratic- controlled Senate and the White House would accept. The House’s $61-billion spending-cut bill stemmed from objections from Tea Party-backed lawmakers over a smaller figure that Boehner’s leadership team had proposed.
The outcome on the fight over the 2011 budget looms as the first major test of his clout and credibility.
Boehner today disputed reports of an agreement on $33 billion in cuts, saying Republican negotiators would continue to fight for the House-passed bill.
“There’s no agreement on the numbers and nothing will be agreed to until everything is agreed to,” he told reporters on Capitol Hill.
Still, he signaled that a compromise could be coming soon.
“We control one-half of one-third of the government here in Washington. We can’t impose our will on another body,” he said. “All we can do is to fight for all of the spending cuts that we can get an agreement to.”
Tea Party Reaction
That reasoning didn’t satisfy some Tea Party activists, who questioned whether he was fighting hard enough for budget cuts.
“He sold the conservative movement down the river,” said Frank Sherman, 60, a land developer from Virginia. “The $61 billion is nothing, and then to turn around and cut that in half is just a complete sell out.”
Chuck Floyd, a Tea Party supporter from Maryland, had some tough advice for the speaker.
“He needs to man up and do what’s right,” he said. “Boehner needs to quit crying and stop compromising,”
Editors: Don Frederick, Ann Hughey.
To contact the reporters on this story: Lisa Lerer in Washington at llerer@bloomberg.net;
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Mark Silva at msilva34@bloomberg.net
