ATLANTA—Republican Critique on Spending and Foreign Policy at The Gathering Conference

At Erick Erickson’s The Gathering conference in Atlanta, Rep. Chip Roy of Texas delivered a pointed critique of his own party's approach to government spending. He accused Republicans of failing to act on their promises to reduce the size of government, highlighting that many House members voted against proposed spending cut amendments in the federal budget earlier this year. Roy expressed disappointment in the Republican Party's direction, stating, “We didn’t choose the right path,” and emphasized the need for a more principled stance on fiscal responsibility. Roy argued that it is possible to restrain government spending without affecting Medicare and Social Security benefits. He criticized his colleagues for aligning with Democrats on spending issues, particularly regarding the Inflation Reduction Act, which he described as providing “handouts to Democrats’ corporate cronies.” He questioned the effectiveness of merely being a “slightly less bad version of Democrats” in terms of fiscal policy. On defense spending, Roy called for a focus on securing the United States, criticizing the current administration's handling of national security and military policies. He expressed strong opposition to using American tax dollars for the Russia-Ukraine conflict, stating, “I am sick and tired of politicians… talking about what we need to do in Ukraine.” Roy firmly opposed sending substantial financial aid to Ukraine, arguing against the allocation of $175 billion for what he termed “Zelensky’s war.”