Representative Tom McClintock (R., Calif.) has resigned from the conservative caucus that’s rumored to be contemplating another attempt to force Ohio Republican John Boehner from his speakership. He cited tactical differences with the group in a series of legislative fights this year as the main factor behind his decision.
McClintock hand-delivered the resignation letter to House Freedom Caucus (HFC) chairman Jim Jordan (R., Ohio) Wednesday, after the 30-40 member group pledged not to vote for any government-funding bill that does not completely strip appropriations from Planned Parenthood.
“For several months, Harry Reid and Senate Democrats have threatened to shut down the government on October 1st unless Congress unleashes another unsustainable cycle of tax increases and borrowing,” McClintock wrote. “I have strongly opposed the public funding of abortions throughout my 29 years in public office, but this tactic promises only to shield Senate Democrats from their responsibility for a government shutdown and to alienate the public from the pro-life cause at precisely the time when undercover videos of Planned Parenthood’s barbaric practices are turning public opinion in our favor.”
HFC’s position on Planned Parenthood has put GOP leadership, which fears taking the blame for a government shutdown, in a tenuous spot. Without HFC, Boehner is unlikely to muster the 218 Republican votes necessary to pass legislation to keep the government open without Democratic support — he can only afford to lose 29 Republicans. But if Boehner turns to Democrats to help pass a budget bill, they could demand spending increases in return that Boehner and other Republicans have resisted.
#share#Such a collaboration between Republican leadership and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) could also exacerbate back-bench frustrations with Boehner. Representative Mark Meadows (R., N.C.) introduced a motion to depose the speaker in August. His HFC colleagues did not support that move, but HFC chairman Jim Jordan pointedly refused to endorse Boehner in the event that the motion receives a vote. The ever-present possibility of such a vote has rumors of Boehner’s political demise flying on both sides of the Capitol.
McClintock’s resignation could give political cover to Boehner in the upcoming budget fight, because his conservative credentials are unimpeachable — He has a 90 percent rating from Heritage Action, the outside group that functions as a locus of anti-leadership sentiment. And if nothing else, he’s one more vote in Boehner’s column, at a time when the speaker needs all the help he can get.
— Joel Gehrke is a political reporter for National Review.