House Freedom Caucus members want to cap nondefense discretionary spending at fiscal 2022 levels for the next decade, arguing Republicans should use the upcoming debt limit fight to force Democrats to agree to steep spending cuts they say would save $3 trillion.
The group of roughly three dozen ultraconservatives held a news conference Friday to announce their spending demands, which also includes rescinding unspent pandemic funds, repealing mandatory spending in Democrats’ climate, tax and health law and blocking President Joe Biden’s student debt relief executive action that the Supreme Court is reviewing.
The Freedom Caucus also wants to impose work requirements on various federal benefit programs like Medicaid, which they estimate would produce $30 billion a year in savings, and enact legislation to curb government regulations and spur domestic energy production.
