House Speaker John Boehner got hit by the deep budget-slashing he advocates as the top Republican in Congress.
Many of Boehner’s fellow House Republicans, including a number of those backed by the anti-establishment Tea Party, voted on Wednesday to end a weapons project backed by Boehner in his home state of Ohio.
Boehner, who promised to bring wide-open debate to the House when he was elected its speaker last month, tried to brush off the setback.
“I am committed to the House working it’s will, and it did yesterday,” Boehner told his weekly news conference on Thursday.
“This is not about me. This is not about my district,” he said.
“This ought to be about the U.S. House speaking on the behalf of all Americans, both Democrats and Republicans,” he added.
The House voted to defund the weapons project as part of its bid to cut at least $61 billion from U.S. spending this fiscal year and trim the growing federal debt — creating what they say will be a healthier and more job-friendly environment.
