Republicans have already dropped the ball in their promise to fight tooth and nail against the liberal policies of President Barack Obama, says Rep. Tim Huelskamp, a key member of the House Tea Party Caucus.
"We had a huge election just a few short months ago. A few weeks after that election, the Republican leadership in the House and Senate caved and gave Obama most of what he wanted until the rest of the year," the Kansas Republican said Tuesday on "The Steve Malzberg Show on
Newsmax TV.
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"[The leadership] said we'd fight executive amnesty in February. Here we are and we're wondering when the battle is really going to begin."
Huelskamp, also a member of the House Veteran Affairs Committee, says tea party activists and "conservatives of all stripes" are expecting more fire from the party which now controls the House and Senate.
"[We are] expecting Republicans, the party of the … Constitution and conservative principles, [will] actually stand on those," he said.
"What we hope in the tea party caucus is to call Republicans … to stand as Republicans. We need to do a better job of getting our voice across in Washington."
Huelskamp is skeptical about the lawsuits filed by Republican lawmakers against the president's actions, including the Affordable Care Act, and believes budget-cut threats are the way to go.
"If you look at the founders of this country, they didn't hurry up and write a constitution so they could help get their Supreme Court to help them. It's in their rights and liberties.
"The lawsuits, they'll take years to get done, but the power of the purse can happen right now."