House GOP’s Ties to Conservative Groups Show Signs of Strain
Source: The Wall Street Journal.
By Kristina Peterson , Janet Hook
WASHINGTONHouse Republicans close-knit alliance with outside conservative groups showed signs of fraying Wednesday as many GOP lawmakers prepared to buck their advice on the newly proposed budget deal.
Conservative advocacy groups including Heritage Action and the Club for Growth have commanded a powerful influence among House Republicans, backing their push to defund the presidents health-care law, a move that eventually led to the governments partial shutdown in October. But signs emerged Wednesday that their sway could be beginning to weaken among House Republicans, many of whom appeared ready to support a budget deal negotiated by one of their own, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R., Wis.)
In a closed-door meeting of Republicans Wednesday morning, House Speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio) criticized some conservative advocacy groups for urging GOP lawmakers to oppose the budget deal before it was formally unveiled on Tuesday and blasted them to reporters soon after.
You mean the groups that came out and opposed it before they ever saw it, snapped Mr. Boehner. He defended the deal crafted by Mr. Ryan that, although small in scope, would cut an additional $22.5 billion from the federal deficit over the next decade.
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