Tensions boiled over in the House Republican Conference Tuesday morning, with some conservative members of the House Freedom Caucus seeking action against the 13 Republicans who voted for a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy trying to keep his caucus together to oppose Democrats’ sweeping social spending legislation.

Republican Rep. Dan Bishop of North Carolina reportedly filed a resolution to remove New York Rep. John Katko from his position as ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee over his vote in favor of the bill. The resolution was referred to the conference’s steering committee, and it could only be brought forward for a vote in the caucus with support from leadership.

But it was a follow-through on threats of retaliation that members in the Freedom Caucus have been making for months against any Republicans who vote for the bill. Right-wing voters accelerated calls for accountability and threats against the members who voted “yes” after the infrastructure bill passed.

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Also in the meeting, Texas Rep. Chip Roy got into a heated exchange with McCarthy in front of the conference over whether the 13 members should face consequences for voting with Democrats on the bill. A spokesman for Roy’s office said that they do not comment on private meetings.

McCarthy, of California, reportedly argued during the meeting that everyone has a right to vote their districts and called for members to not single each other out, hoping to keep the conference united and focused on countering Democrats’ “Build Back Better” bill that will come up for a vote this week.

The members who voted for the infrastructure bill, though, say that they are not concerned about facing any serious action from within the conference.

“I’m focused on securing our border, supporting law enforcement, and stopping Democrats’ reckless spending in the Build Back Better Act. Our conference is united behind these efforts. I intend to continue leading on them,” Katko said in a statement to the Washington Examiner after Bishop, who also sits on the Homeland Security Committee under Katko, filed the resolution.

“This is a small group of members who are making loud noises, and it’s falling deaf ears. I’m not concerned about it,” Nebraska Rep. Don Bacon said in a statement to the Washington Examiner last week. “I voted for what is best for our district — a district that went for Joe Biden by almost 8%. Most GOP members understand that.”

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Six far-left House Democrats voted against the infrastructure bill over objections for it not passing alongside a larger social spending bill. In the closely divided House, that means the infrastructure bill would not have passed in the House without support from at least a handful of House Republicans.

Though the bill was crafted by a bipartisan group of senators and 19 Senate Republicans voted for the bill, House Republican leadership whipped votes against it when it finally came up for a vote after nearly a three-month delay due to Democratic squabbling. Their argument was that the infrastructure bill was essentially part of one mega-spending framework alongside the Build Back Better bill.

Original Location: Infra-party backlash in House GOP: Katko retaliation attempt, McCarthy and Roy get heated

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