Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (D-CA) is breaking with Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to oppose the massive $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill.
McCarthy is reportedly planning to campaign against the spending bill that Senate Republicans negotiated with Democrats.
According to Punchbowl News, McCarthy’s break with McConnell will reportedly come at a GOP lunch meeting Wednesday.
The move comes just a day after Senate leadership agreed to the omnibus.
Congress is expected to give a final vote on the package later on Wednesday.
House Republicans like Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC) 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 almost $600 million to encourage “family planning” in places where human population growth threatens animal biodiversity.
“Malthusianism is a disturbing, anti-human ideology that should have ZERO place in any federal program,” Bishop wrote on Twitter.
NEWS — @GOPLeader @kevinomccarthy will attend the senate gop steering lunch today to make the case against the omnibus.
21 republicans voted to proceed to the bill yesterday and the senate gop leadership is supporting the package.
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) December 21, 2022
Republican in-fighting over the spending bill comes as Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky visits Washington D.C. for the first time since Russia’s invasion began.
The $1.7 trillion package also includes $45 billion in military funding for the war-torn country.
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.
Regardless of the fate of the omnibus, Democrat President Joe Biden announced $1.85 billion in new aid for Ukraine on Wednesday, including a Patriot missile battery.
Patriot missiles are the most advanced American air defense system.
Zelensky will address Congress on Wednesday evening.
