Boehner rips GOP critics
WASHINGTON — House Speaker John Boehner isn’t going out quietly.
The embattled speaker had choice words Sunday for his foes inside and outside Congress and signaled that he intends to be very much in charge until he relinquishes the speaker’s gavel under pressure at the end of October.
Boehner took aim at Republican rebels in the House of Representatives and conservative and tea party groups he did not identify that agitated for his departure.
He blasted them as “false prophets” who “whip people into a frenzy believing they can accomplish things that they know, they know, they are never going to happen.”
“They’re unrealistic,” the Ohio Republican said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “The Bible says beware of false prophets. And there are people out there, you know, spreading noise about how much can get done. I mean this whole notion that we’re going to shut down the government to get rid of Obamacare in 2013 — this plan never had a chance.”
When asked if the “false prophets” included Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, a Republican presidential candidate, Boehner said, “You can pick out a lot of names. I’ll let you choose them.”
Boehner then referred to comments he made at a Colorado fundraiser where the speaker called Cruz a “jackass.” Cruz earned Boehner’s ire for advising House Republican conservatives.
Boehner’s critics gave as good as they got from the speaker.
“We need a Republican leadership that is showing conservative values,” Michael Needham, CEO of the conservative Heritage Action for America said on “Fox News Sunday.” “That’s not what we’ve had.”
Boehner said there won’t be a repeat of 2013’s partial government shutdown this week as Congress must pass a short-term funding measure to keep the government operating beyond Wednesday.
He said the House would take up a short-term continuing resolution under consideration in the Senate before the shutdown deadline. The Senate legislation doesn’t strip Planned Parenthood of federal funding, something some conservatives are demanding.
Boehner acknowledged that pushing the Senate bill through the House will require heavy support from the chamber’s Democrats.
“I’m sure it will, but I suspect my Democratic colleagues want to keep the government open as much as I do.”
In addition to avoiding a shutdown, Boehner hinted he has a number of things on his to-do list before he leaves office Oct. 30.
“I expect that I might have a little more cooperation from some around town to try to get as much finished as possible,” he said. “I don’t want to leave my successor a dirty barn. I want to clean the barn up a little bit before the next person gets there.”