At least one House Republican is completely fed up with his party this week.
At a press conference on Friday, Freedom Caucus member Eli Crane was so infuriated by the six-bill, 1,012-page spending package organized by House and Senate leaders—meant to stop a government shutdown—that he urged Americans to vote out his GOP colleagues.
“Please, quit sending politicians up here who come to your town, who come to your Lincoln Reagan Day dinner, talking about fiscal responsibility, border security, and then they vote on this crap repeatedly,” the Arizona representative said, waving a piece of paper while referring to the House minibus set for a vote on Friday. “You can help us. Quit sending them up here because in case you guys haven’t noticed, we are radically outnumbered.”
“It’s always the same names. It’s always the same names of people trying to stop it. And it’s always the same names unfortunately who talk a good game in the media, and back at home in their districts, and then they come up here and they vote for this crap hoping that you don’t pay attention. You can help us,” Crane added.
The comments came during a Freedom Caucus press conference, where Crane and several other members trashed Speaker Mike Johnson. And it’s another sign that the Republican Party is in complete disarray.
And before you get too cozy on Crane, remember that the House Freedom Caucus member has vocally supported Donald Trump, celebrating his 2024 primary wins and voting against the impeachment efforts against him in 2020. He has also personally helped fuel Republican infighting, including being a part of the “Gaetz Eight,” a small cohort of Republicans who voted out former Speaker Kevin McCarthy late last year.
Moments before the House was set to vote, Crane reaffirmed his take on the package.
“This is garbage,” he said.
Eli Crane trashes his House Republican colleagues, urging people to vote them out. pic.twitter.com/YBxriDoJZg
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) March 22, 2024