House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy, (R-CA) will reportedly campaign against the $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill that Senate Republicans negotiated with Democrats, according to Fox News.
McCarthy’s break with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell will reportedly come at a GOP lunch meeting Wednesday, just a day after Senate leaders agreed to the omnibus, according to Punchbowl News. Congress is expected to give a final vote on the package later on Wednesday.
House Republicans like Rep. Dan Bishop, R-N.C., have taken issue with specific aspects of the bill aside from its huge price tag. Bishop pointed to what he called a “sinister” portion of the bill that allocates nearly $600 million to encourage “family planning” in places where human population growth threatens animal biodiversity.
While McCarthy has called for more scrutiny on funding to Ukraine and an end to “blank checks,” McConnell says he is all-in on continuing to fund Ukraine’s defense.
“Providing assistance for Ukrainians to defeat the Russians is the No. 1 priority for the United States right now, according to most Republicans,” McConnell told reporters Tuesday.