Freedom Caucus chairman: GOP leadership demands won’t produce ‘honest debate’

The chairman of the House Freedom Caucus slammed GOP leadership on Twitter over demands that Congress pass a funding bill or stay in Washington over Christmas.

Meadows said that the ultimatum does not produce a “good result” or “honest debate.”

“When the choice becomes: ‘pass the funding bill we give you, or stay in Washington over Christmas’–how does that produce a good result?” Meadows tweeted. “How does that produce honest debate? It doesn’t.”

When the choice becomes: “pass the funding bill we give you, or stay in Washington over Christmas”–how does that produce a good result? How does that produce honest debate?

It doesn’t.

— Mark Meadows (@RepMarkMeadows) December 5, 2017

House GOP leaders are currently weighing deals to pass a funding bill to continue funding the government beyond the Dec. 8 deadline, at which point the government would shut down if a bill is not passed.

The GOP had planned to pass a bill Wednesday that would fund the government until Dec. 22 before approving another temporary spending bill before Christmas.

Meadows and other members of the far-right Freedom Caucus are pushing instead for a stopgap bill that would last until the end of the month.

The House Rules Committee will meet Tuesday to set up floor debate about the options.