GOP congressman warns party is ‘sucking wind’ and ‘will pay the price at the ballot box’

A top House Republican is warning members of his caucus that their hardline attitudes could lead to electoral disaster in the fall. During a recent impromptu gaggle with reporters, outgoing Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) offered frank criticism of both House Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) leadership so far, and of far-right members of the House Republican Conference. He said his fellow Republicans made an “active choice to extend the pain and create suffering” that led to Johnson pursuing the laddered government spending package last year that set two separate funding deadlines to avoid a shutdown. McHenry told Politico that decision is…