Speaker Johnson faces Freedom Caucus backlash on spending bill

WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — The latest short-term spending bill that averted a partial government shutdown is once again not sitting well with the conservative Freedom Caucus.

“They (Republicans who voted for the bill) can go back to their districts and pretend they did something when they’re not really willing to stand and fight for the things that matter most for the country,” Virginia Rep. Bob Good, who is also the head of the Freedom Caucus, told NewsNation’s “The Hill.”

The bill’s passage could, once again, put a Republican speaker of the House in the hot seat.

The threat to Rep. Mike Johnson’s speakership appears to revolve around a separate debate splitting Republicans in increasingly explosive ways: the fight over new spending for Ukraine and the southern border.

The short-term bill does not address additional aid for Ukraine, which remains in limbo as key senators continue to negotiate a U.S. border security measure that would go in tandem with more support for Kyiv.

“It’s one of the most important things that we should be standing for: securing the border,” Good said.

While border security appears to be Good’s red line, former Freedom Caucus member Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., is putting her foot down on Ukraine funding.

She warned, in no uncertain terms, that she’ll file a motion to strip Johnson of his gavel if the speaker stages a vote on a Senate-crafted Ukraine bill, which upper chamber negotiators are trying to combine with tougher security measures at the U.S.-Mexico border.

When NewsNation’s Blake Burman asked about a recent Axios report that claimed Freedom Caucus members may begin to hijack Republican messaging bills as an act of retaliation against House Speaker Mike Johnson, Good kept his response vague.

“Don’t assume you have our votes for the things that don’t matter when you don’t want them for the things that do matter,” Good responded.

NewsNation affiliate The Hill contributed to this report.