McConnell dodges questions on House impeachment inquiry against President Biden

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., dodged reporters' questions Tuesday about whether he supports House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's decision to open a formal impeachment inquiry against President Joe Biden. 

"Well, we've got our hands full here trying to get through the appropriations process and not have an omnibus and I don't have any advice to get to the house," McConnell said after the GOP's weekly luncheon. "They've got a totally different set of challenges than we do, and so I think the best advice for the Senate is to do our job, and we'll see how this plays out later."

"I don't think Speaker McCarthy needs any advice from the Senate on how to run the House," he said to another reporter who asked if he supported the investigations. 

Last month, McConnell told the New York Times that pursuing an impeachment inquiry "is not good for our country." Nonetheless, the GOP leader made it clear the Senate will cross that bridge when it comes. 

HOUSE SPEAKER KEVIN MCCARTHY ANNOUNCES FORMAL IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY AGAINST PRESIDENT BIDEN

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday said House Republicans have "uncovered serious and credible allegations into President Biden's conduct" that will serve as the basis of an impeachment inquiry.

"Today, I am directing our House committees to open a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe," McCarthy announced in a statement at the Capitol Tuesday. "This logical next step will give our committees the full power to gather all the facts and answers for the American public." 

JOHN FETTERMAN DARES REPUBLICANS TO IMPEACH BIDEN: ‘YOU JUST GOTTA CALL THEIR BULLS--T’

McCarthy cited "abuse of power, obstruction and corruption" allegations against Biden by several GOP-led committees who have been investigating the president.

"Through our investigations, we have found that President Biden did lie to the American people about his own knowledge of his family's foreign business dealings. Eyewitnesses have testified that the president joined on multiple phone calls and had multiple interactions, dinners resulted in cars and millions of dollars into his sons and his son's business partners," McCarthy said.

"We know that bank records show that nearly $20 million in payments were directed to the Biden family members and associates through various Shell companies. The Treasury Department alone has more than 150 transactions involving the Biden family. Another business associates that were flagged as suspicious activity by U.S. banks. Even a trusted FBI informant has alleged a bribe to the Biden family. Biden used his official office to coordinate with Hunter Biden's business partners about Hunter's role in Burisma, the Ukrainian energy company," he continued. 

MCCONNELL INTENDS TO FINISH SENATE AND LEADERSHIP TERM FOLLOWING HEALTH EPISODES

Senate Majority Leader, Chuck Schumer, D-Ny., called the impeachment inquiry "absurd" on Tuesday.

"The American people want us to do something that will make their lives better, not go off on these chases and witch hunts," he said. 

"I have sympathy with Speaker McCarthy, he's in a difficult position, but sometimes you gotta tell these people who are way off the deep end who have no interest in helping the American people, who just wanna pursue their own with hunts that they can't go forward with it," he continued. 

Fox News' Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report. 

Gaetz threatens to force vote for McCarthy ouster ‘every day’ if he’s not ‘in compliance’

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., said he would move to take away House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s gavel "every day" if the GOP leader is not in "compliance" with key demands he listed out on the House floor Tuesday. 

"No continuing resolutions — individual spending bills or bust. Votes on balanced budgets and term limits. Subpoenas for Hunter Biden and the members of the Biden family who've been grifting off of this country. And the impeachment for Joe Biden that he so richly deserves," Gaetz listed. "Do these things or face a motion to vacate the chair."

Gaetz spoke less than two hours after McCarthy, R-Calif., announced he was directing relevant committees to open an impeachment inquiry into President Biden.

Speaking to reporters on a conference call after his speech, Gaetz called the inquiry notice a "baby step."

MCCARTHY ‘DANGLING' BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY TO DELAY RECKONING OVER SPENDING, SOME CONSERVATIVES SAY

"But I have fallen for this mirage before," Gaetz continued. "I remember in January, when Kevin McCarthy ran down to the border to gaslight an impeachment of [Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas], and he tried then to subjugate all the threats to his power, as impediments to a Mayorkas impeachment."

"McCarthy wasn't serious" at the time, he said. 

Gaetz told reporters there was a written agreement between McCarthy and his conservative hardliner critics made in January, when he won the speakership on a 15th round vote after facing 14 rounds of opposition. He said it was that agreement that he now expected McCarthy to adhere to, or face a call for removal. 

TOP OVERSIGHT DEMOCRAT URGES COMER, REPUBLICANS TO SUBPOENA TRUMP'S SON-IN-LAW JARED KUSHNER

Some of the details of McCarthy’s deal had been made public, such as a House rules change to allow just one member to call for him to be removed from leadership — known as a motion to vacate — to trigger a House-wide vote on it. 

"If we who worked to craft that deal aren't willing to enforce it, then we just look like every other bulls--- artist in Washington DC, and it's a fate that I'm not willing to endure," Gaetz said.

DOJ, FBI, IRS INTERFERED WITH HUNTER BIDEN PROBE, ACCORDING TO WHISTLEBLOWER TESTIMONY RELEASED BY GOP

"So we're either going to get compliance or we're going to start having votes on motions to vacate, and we're gonna have them regularly. I don't anticipate them passing immediately. But I think that, you know, if we have to begin every single day in Congress with the prayer, the pledge, and the motion to vacate, so be it." 

Lawmakers are working to hash out a deal on funding the government for the next fiscal year. If no agreement is struck or if Congress fails to at least extend the current year’s spending priorities via continuing resolution by Sept. 30, the federal government could be forced into a partial shutdown.

Fox News Politics: Biden impeachment takes off

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THE RUNDOWN: House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announces impeachment inquiry against President Biden… Trump files motion to quash Fulton County, Georgia indictment… U.S. announces $6 billion payment to Iran as part of prisoner swap… Biden takes heat for 9/11 anniversary remarks… 

'BIDEN DID LIE': House Speaker Kevin McCarthy says the House has "uncovered serious and credible allegations," which will serve as basis for impeachment inquiry ...Continue reading

BRIBE SCIENCE: The CIA allegedly offered senior officials substantial cash to change opinions about COVID-19's origin ...Continue reading

$100B AND COUNTING: Biden administration provides accounting of spending for Ukraine's defense against Russia ...Continue reading

‘SLANDERING’: House GOP accuse Hunter Biden's attorneys of intimidating IRS whistleblowers ...Continue reading

FRESH WHOPPER: Biden claims he visited Ground Zero one day after Sept. 11, 2001, but the history books tell a different story ...Continue reading

TULSI GABBARD REACTS TO BIDEN'S 9/11 CELEBRATIONS: "Joe Biden's absence was also very palpable." WATCH:

IRAN'S PLANS: The Biden administration's $6B payment to Iran will only encourage hostage taking, critics of the aid say ...Continue reading

WHAT REPUBLICANS WANT: 5 key demands House conservatives are making before taking partial government shutdown off table ...Continue reading

CHANGE OF TUNE: McCarthy says an impeachment inquiry is the "logical next step" to take against Biden, but that's not what he said last month… ...Continue reading

DEEPFAKE PROBLEMS: GOP senator demands federal standard for AI content identification ...Continue reading

PHOTO OF THE DAY: Mayor of Burbank, California takes paddle from a drag queen during a Democratic fundraiser:

SEEDY POLITICS: A Virginia Democratic candidate reportedly solicited money by posting blow job videos online ...Continue reading

‘AMERICA IS FALLING’: YouTuber and boxer Jake Paul has launched a project to help voters select the best presidential candidate in 2024 ...Continue reading

‘GET OUT OF THE RACE’: GOP governor minces no words in advice to low-polling Republican presidential candidates ...Continue reading

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub

House Republicans accuse Hunter Biden’s attorneys of intimidating IRS whistleblowers in letter to AG Garland

House Republicans sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland on Tuesday accusing Hunter’s Biden legal team of engaging in a "brazen effort to intimidate and harass" the two Internal Revenue Service whistleblowers in the Hunter Biden tax probe.

Reps. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, Jason Smith, R-Mo., and James Comer, R-Ky., accused Biden’s attorneys of intimidating IRS whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler, who recently alleged political interference in the prosecutorial decisions throughout the years-long federal probe into the president's son.

The letter accused Biden’s lawyers of having "slandered" the whistleblowers as "disgruntled" and of "urging" the Department of Justice to prosecute them.

"Federal law protects whistleblowers from retaliation, and efforts to intimidate these whistleblowers raise serious concerns about potential obstruction of the Committees’ investigation," the letter read. "Accordingly, we request information about any attempts by Hunter Biden’s legal team to encourage the Department to take action against IRS whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler."

IRS WHISTLEBLOWER FLAMES GARLAND, WEISS: SPECIAL COUNSEL NEEDED TO ‘INVESTIGATE THE INVESTIGATION'

The letter pointed to a New York Times article that said Biden’s legal team "have contended to the Justice Department that by disclosing details about the investigation to Congress, they broke the law and should be prosecuted."

The Republicans are giving the DOJ until 5:00 p.m. on Sept. 26 to produce any letters or communications from Biden’s lawyers to the DOJ "advocating for the investigation or prosecution of Mr. Shapley or Mr. Ziegler," as well as any documents and communications between his attorneys and the DOJ referring or relating to a criminal investigation or prosecution of Shapley or Ziegler.

Garland is scheduled to testify in front of the House Judiciary Committee for a standard oversight hearing on Sept. 20.

Fox News has reached out to the DOJ and Biden’s attorneys, Abbe Lowell and Chris Clark, for comment.

The letter comes the same day that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., is expected to endorse an impeachment inquiry into President Biden for his alleged involvement in his son's business dealings.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announces formal impeachment inquiry against President Biden

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday said House Republicans have "uncovered serious and credible allegations into President Biden's conduct" that will serve as the basis of an impeachment inquiry. 

"Today, I am directing our House committees to open a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe," McCarthy announced in a statement at the Capitol Tuesday. "This logical next step will give our committees the full power to gather all the facts and answers for the American public." 

The speaker said House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., will lead the inquiry in coordination with House Oversight Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Ways & Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo.

McCarthy spoke for only roughly three minutes and did not take questions from reporters. He made no mention of holding a floor vote before opening the impeachment inquiry, despite telling Breitbart earlier this month it would happen "through a vote on the floor of the People’s House and not through a declaration by one person."

MCCARTHY TO GREEN LIGHT BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY THIS WEEK

He listed allegations of "abuse of power, obstruction and corruption" made against Biden by several GOP-led committees who have been investigating the president. 

"Through our investigations, we have found that President Biden did lie to the American people about his own knowledge of his family's foreign business dealings. Eyewitnesses have testified that the president joined on multiple phone calls and had multiple interactions, dinners resulted in cars and millions of dollars into his sons and his son's business partners," McCarthy said.

"We know that bank records show that nearly $20 million in payments were directed to the Biden family members and associates through various Shell companies. The Treasury Department alone has more than 150 transactions involving the Biden family. Another business associates that were flagged as suspicious activity by U.S. banks. Even a trusted FBI informant has alleged a bribe to the Biden family. Biden used his official office to coordinate with Hunter Biden's business partners about Hunter's role in Burisma, the Ukrainian energy company," he continued. 

MCCARTHY ‘DANGLING' BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY TO DELAY RECKONING OVER SPENDING, SOME CONSERVATIVES SAY

He concluded, "Finally, despite these serious allegations, it appears that the president's family has been offered special treatment by Biden's own administration. Treatment that not otherwise would have received if they were not related to the president. These are allegations of abuse of power, obstruction and corruption, and they want further investigation by the House of Representatives."

Earlier, Fox News confirmed that McCarthy will tell House Republicans today that beginning an impeachment inquiry against Biden is the "logical next step" for their investigations. An inquiry is the first step of the impeachment process, where evidence is gathered for the articles, or charges, of impeachment against an official. 

The House GOP conference plans to hold a meeting on Thursday morning for key committee chairs to lay out their latest findings and the status of the investigations into the Biden family. The chairs of the committees overseeing the inquiry will brief rank-and-file lawmakers. 

TOP OVERSIGHT DEMOCRAT URGES COMER, REPUBLICANS TO SUBPOENA TRUMP'S SON-IN-LAW JARED KUSHNER

In a statement responding to McCarthy's announcement, White House spokesman for oversight and investigations Ian Sams blasted the effort as politically motivated.

"House Republicans have been investigating the President for 9 months, and they've turned up no evidence of wrongdoing. His own GOP members have said so. He vowed to hold a vote to open impeachment, now he flip flopped because he doesn't have support. Extreme politics at its worst," Sams wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Sources first told Fox News Digital in August that McCarthy planned to open an impeachment inquiry this month. There had been debate at the time over whether to first hold a floor vote in a show of GOP unity. 

A House vote is not necessary to open an impeachment inquiry, but McCarthy had criticized former Speaker Nancy Pelosi for launching one into former President Donald Trump before formalizing it on the chamber floor. 

New Mexico sheriff says he won’t enforce ‘unconstitutional’ gun ban: ‘Protecting the Second Amendment’

Democratic New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is facing widespread pushback from state law enforcement officials following her attempt to ban concealed and open carry permits.

Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen described Grisham's 30-day "public health order" as "unconstitutional" during a press conference this week despite standing beside the governor during her rollout of the policy.

"It’s unconstitutional, so there’s no way we can enforce that order," the sheriff said in a Monday news conference. "This ban does nothing to curb gun violence."

NEW MEXICO REPUBLICANS BELIEVE DEMOCRATS WILL BACK IMPEACHMENT OF LEFT-WING GOVERNOR OVER 'ROGUE' GUN ORDER

"We must always remember not only are we protecting the Second Amendment, but at the same time, we have a lot of violence within our community. Let me be clear, I hold my standards high, and I do not or never will hedge on what is right."

Grisham issued an emergency order on Friday suspending the right to carry guns in public across Albuquerque and the surrounding Bernalillo County for at least 30 days following recent instances of gun violence.

The governor said she expects the order to face legal challenges, but she believes she needed to act in response to recent gun-related deaths, such as an 11-year-old boy who was shot and killed outside a minor league baseball stadium earlier this week.

NEW MEXICO GOVERNOR TEMPORARILY SUSPENDS OPEN, CONCEALED CARRY ACROSS ALBUQUERQUE: 'VIOLENCE AT EVERY TURN'

The suspension was classified as an emergency public health order and applies to open and concealed carry in most public places, excluding police and licensed security guards. The restriction is connected to a threshold for violent crime rates met only by the Albuquerque area.

Allen claims he pressured against the public health order, saying "[Grisham] knew we as law enforcement did not agree with the order, and as a result, this was solely her decision."

Grisham fired back at Allen following his press conference, ordering the law enforcement official to "stop being squeamish" about enforcing the order.

LIBERALS TURN ON NEW MEXICO GOVERNOR OVER GUN SUSPENSION: 'VIOLATES THE US CONSTITUTION'

"I don’t need a lecture on constitutionality from Sheriff Allen: what I need is action," Grisham said in a statement responding to Allen. "What we need is for leaders to stand up for the victims of violent crime. We need law enforcement, district attorneys, public officials, school leaders and state agencies to use every single tool at their disposal to stop this violence. Period."

She continued, "We’ve given you the tools, Sheriff Allen — now stop being squeamish about using them. I will not back down from doing what’s right and I will always put the safety of the people of New Mexico first."

Violators could face civil penalties and a fine of up to $5,000, according to the governor's spokeswoman Caroline Sweeney. The governor said state police are responsible for enforcing the order, but she acknowledged not all law enforcement officials – including the district attorney for the Albuquerque area – agree with it.

Lujan Grisham cited several recent shootings in Albuquerque when issuing the order, including the Wednesday shooting outside the Albuquerque Isotopes' field that left 11-year-old Froyland Villegas dead and a woman critically wounded. The two were inside a vehicle that was sprayed with bullets as people were leaving the game.

On Aug. 13, 5-year-old Galilea Samaniego was shot and killed as she slept when four teens entered a mobile home community in two stolen vehicles and opened fire on the home. The girl was shot in the head and died from her injuries at a hospital.

Another deadly shooting took place in August in Taos County when a 14-year-old boy used his father's gun to shoot and kill his friend, 13-year-old Amber Archuleta, while they were at the boy's home.

Fox News Digital's Landon Mion contributed to this report.

McCarthy to green light Biden impeachment this week

Fox News Digital has confirmed House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., will tell House Republicans today that beginning an impeachment inquiry against President Biden is "the logical next step." 

Tuesday morning's Punchbowl newsletter reported that House Republican leaders will meet behind closed doors Thursday for a scheduled update from House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., on their investigations into Biden and his son, Hunter Biden. At the meeting, McCarthy is expected to say an impeachment inquiry is the "logical next step" for the Republican majority.

Sources previously told Fox News Digital that Republicans were planning to launch an impeachment inquiry into Biden this month. Three separate GOP-led committees have investigated allegations that Hunter Biden leveraged his father's official government positions to secure foreign business deals. The open question for Republican lawmakers is whether President Biden ever personally benefited from his son's deals or abused the power of his office to influence them in any way. 

McCarthy said last month that an impeachment inquiry would only happen with a formal House vote. 

MCCARTHY ‘DANGLING’ BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY TO DELAY RECKONING OVER SPENDING, SOME CONSERVATIVES SAY

"To open an impeachment inquiry is a serious matter, and House Republicans would not take it lightly or use it for political purposes. The American people deserve to be heard on this matter through their elected representatives," McCarthy told Breitbart News in a statement. "That’s why, if we move forward with an impeachment inquiry, it would occur through a vote on the floor of the People’s House and not through a declaration by one person."

That means 218 lawmakers will need to support an impeachment inquiry against Biden, and it is not at all certain House Republicans have the votes to do it. Several GOP lawmakers including Reps. Ken Buck, R-Colo., and Don Bacon, R-Neb., have voiced skepticism about impeachment. Even some House conservatives who support impeachment have complained about the timing, with Rep. Dan Bishop, R-N.C., telling Fox News Digital last week it appeared McCarthy was "dangling" the issue to avoid a confrontation over spending ahead of the next deadline to fund the government. 

MCCARTHY SAYS BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY WOULD NEED HOUSE VOTE, IN DEPARTURE FROM PELOSI AND DEMOCRATS

The House Freedom Caucus and other conservatives have urged McCarthy to force deeper spending cuts and to attach GOP priorities to any short or long-term deal, though that’s unlikely to get Senate or White House approval. They view the last debt-limit deal as a betrayal because it did not significantly curtail government spending. 

"Hiding behind impeachment to screw America with status quo massive funding … will not end well," Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, warned GOP leaders earlier this month.

5 KEY DEMANDS HOUSE CONSERVATIVES ARE MAKING BEFORE TAKING PARTIAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN OFF THE TABLE

With such a narrow House majority, Republicans can only afford to lose five votes from their conference in an impeachment inquiry vote. Were the House to reject impeachment, it would be a major embarrassment for McCarthy and House Republicans, who would have nothing to show voters for their investigations in next year's general election.

At the same time, impeachment hardliners like Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., have threatened to attempt to remove McCarthy if the House does not follow through with an impeachment vote. 

McCarthy's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Fox News' Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report. 

Protesters storm Kevin McCarthy’s office over HIV bill, get dragged out by cops

Protesters stormed House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's Congressional office on Tuesday, demanding that he and other House Republicans re-up funding for an AIDs relief program.

Protesters with Housing Works pressed their way into McCarthy's office and refused to move until Capitol Hill Police arrived and arrested them. The group was demanding a 5-year reauthorization of the PEPFAR global AIDs relief program, which they say has saved "25 million lives."

Images of the incident show protesters sitting on the floor of McCarthy's office and linking arms as bemused staffers remain at their posts.

"We’re proud to use nonviolent civil disobedience, among other tactics, to demand that our government take action to end AIDS," the group wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

HOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADERS WANT TO LAUNCH BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY NEXT MONTH, SOURCES SAY

McCarthy's office did not respond to multiple requests for comment on the incident, but Capitol Police confirmed to Fox News Digital that they arrested seven individuals.

MCCARTHY 'DANGLING' BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY TO DELAY RECKONING OVER SPENDING, SOME CONSERVATIVES SAY

"This morning, multiple individuals were demonstrating inside a House Office Building. After the demonstrators refused to cease demonstrating, USCP then arrested the 4 males and 3 females for Unlawful Entry," Capitol Police said in a statement.

Congress has until September 30 to re-up the law guaranteeing funding for the PEPFAR program, but agreement on the issue appears unlikely. The law had previously been renewed on a five-year rolling basis.

The program will still continue if Congress does not renew the law, but its funding will become subject to the annual budget battle.

MCCARTHY SAYS BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY WOULD NEED HOUSE VOTE, IN DEPARTURE FROM PELOSI AND DEMOCRATS

McCarthy is already facing an impending battle over the annual budget as House lawmakers return to the Capitol for the first time in six weeks on Tuesday. Leaders in the House and Senate have both acknowledged that a deal must be struck on a stopgap funding bill, called a continuing resolution, to give both sides more time to reach an agreement.

If no deal is reached by Sept. 30, lawmakers risk sending the government into a partial shutdown.

Fox News Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.

5 key demands House conservatives are making before taking partial government shutdown off table

House lawmakers return to Capitol Hill for the first time in six weeks on Tuesday, but some factions have already begun to draw battle lines for Congress’ coming fight over how to fund the government for the next fiscal year.

The chamber is expected to vote on military funding this week, its second of 12 appropriations bills. Leaders in the House and Senate have both acknowledged that a deal must be struck on a stopgap funding bill, called a continuing resolution, to give both sides more time to reach an agreement.

If no deal is reached by Sept. 30, lawmakers risk sending the government into a partial shutdown.

As Speaker Kevin McCarthy works to build consensus within his House GOP majority, here are five major demands conservatives have made that could force a standoff between McCarthy’s conference and Democrats in charge of the Senate and White House.

Allies of former President Donald Trump in Congress have called for an end to the "weaponization" of the Justice Department in exchange for their support on any spending deal, particularly in the wake of the four indictments launched against the ex-president.

MCCARTHY SAYS BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY WOULD NEED HOUSE VOTE, IN DEPARTURE FROM PELOSI AND DEMOCRATS

It was also a key part of the House Freedom Caucus’s formal position on agreeing to government funding.

The group called for measures aimed at the DOJ and FBI "to focus them on prosecuting real criminals instead of conducting political witch hunts and targeting law-abiding citizens."

Conservative Republicans are expected to put an emphasis on repealing the Biden administration’s progressive military policies on LGBTQ issues and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts as lawmakers debate the defense spending bill this week.

In an internal memo to lawmakers sent late last month, the 175-member Republican Study Committee (RSC) pointed out that a host of conservative, anti-"woke" policy items were passed in the House’s version of the National Defense Authorization Act in July. It said the bill secured "funding for the Department of Defense (DOD) while countering Biden’s woke attacks on military personnel."

MCCARTHY 'DANGLING' BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY TO DELAY RECKONING OVER SPENDING, SOME CONSERVATIVES SAY

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, suggested to reporters on Monday that the defense appropriations bill might not even survive a floor vote if key demands in that area are not met.

"If we want to try to get it across the finish line this week, I'm certainly open to having those conversations, but only if we get the policy changes that need to occur," Roy said. "Why would I fund transgender surgeries? Why would I fund the continued diversity, equity, inclusion officers that are dividing the Pentagon?"

McCarthy committed to Republicans to having the House pass appropriations bills at fiscal year 2022 spending levels, despite previously agreeing to roughly freeze spending at fiscal 2023 levels during negotiations with President Biden over raising the debt limit.

It’s already set the House on a collision course with the Senate, which is cobbling together its appropriations bills with toplines outlined by the McCarthy-Biden deal – about $120 billion dollars higher than the House GOP’s.

The demand for lower spending levels appears to be the most widely shared among House conservatives, though lawmakers have not settled on where to make those cuts.

HOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADERS WANT TO LAUNCH BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY NEXT MONTH, SOURCES SAY

Several hardliners in the GOP conference have called for any government spending deal to attach the party’s border security package, another wish-list item that’s virtually guaranteed to hit a wall of Democrat opposition.

Both the RSC memo and the Freedom Caucus’s official position have called for attaching the Secure the Border Act to an eventual continuing resolution, which lawmakers will likely need to pass to extend the current government funding priorities past Sept. 30 and avoid a shutdown.

Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., said last week that he believes there’s a number of Republicans ready to vote against a continuing resolution that does not tackle border issues.

"We're basically done with this. It's time to do the right thing. Secure the southern border," Donalds said.

While a significant number of House Republicans still appear wary of launching impeachment proceedings against President Biden, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., among the most vocal conservatives in the chamber, has made it a requirement of her support for a spending deal.

"I’ve already decided: I will not vote to fund the government unless we have passed an impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden," Greene told constituents at a town hall.

However, not all members of McCarthy’s right flank agree. Roy told reporters on Monday that impeachment and government spending are, and should be, two separate processes.

MTG on 9/11 says states ‘should consider’ secession over Biden border policies

Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., declared Monday that states "should consider" seceding from the United States over President Biden’s border policies.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, on the 22nd anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Greene said Americans are "drowning from Biden’s traitorous" policies on the U.S.-Mexico border.

"If the Biden admin refuses to stop the invasion of cartel led human and drug trafficking into our country, states should consider seceding from the union," she wrote.

MTG SAYS WHITE HOUSE ‘ATTACKING’ HER FOR HOLDING OUT GOVERNMENT FUNDING UNTIL IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY BEGINS

"From Texas to New York City to every town in America, we are drowning from Biden’s traitorous America last border policies," she added.

Greene has touted a "national divorce" for years, sparking backlash from her own party. In the latest instance, she suggested a split in the union based on party lines as the nation celebrated Presidents' Day.

"We need a national divorce," she wrote on Feb. 20. "We need to separate by red states and blue states and shrink the federal government. Everyone I talk to says this. From the sick and disgusting woke culture issues shoved down our throats to the Democrat’s traitorous America Last policies, we are done."

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, previously blasted the proposal as "evil."

"This rhetoric is destructive and wrong and — honestly — evil," Cox wrote. "We don’t need a divorce, we need marriage counseling."

"And we need elected leaders that don’t profit by tearing us apart," Cox continued. "We can disagree without hate."

"Healthy conflict was critical to our nation’s founding and survival," the governor added.

Greene fired back at Cox and doubled down on her comments in February, writing, "People agree with me and not the RINO governor of Utah."

"People saying national divorce is a bad idea because the left will never stop trying to control us literally make the case for national divorce," she later wrote. "We don’t want a civil war. We’re not surrendering. We’re tired of complaining with no change and want to protect our way of life."

Fox News’ Houston Keene contributed to this report.