The Biden administration and House Republicans passed the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA), capping congressional budgets as part of a deal to suspend the debt ceiling. 

But as Congress dives into its annual appropriations duties, aspects of the months-old handshake deal not enshrined in law are in question. 

Ultraconservatives, who ousted McCarthy this fall, say Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is not beholden to what Democrats say are McCarthy’s commitments. 

“A deal is a deal is a deal,” Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), who serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said last week. “I think there’s no way we’re going to get to an appropriations deal if people can’t hold to their commitments.” 

In a recent letter to Republicans, Johnson said the FRA remains “the law of the land” and “provides the framework” for spending talks. 

As part of that framework, lawmakers agreed to a base discretionary spending cap of $1.59 trillion for fiscal year 2024. That’s about $886 billion for defense spending and almost $704 billion for nondefense spending.  

The White House secured other changes intended to cushion nondefense funding, including shuffling billions of dollars in IRS funding into nondefense programs. 

But as funding talks heat up in both chambers, the House Freedom Caucus is ramping up its pressure on Johnson.  

In a Friday letter, the hardline conservatives demanded that any deal on top-line government funding for fiscal year 2024 “significantly reduce total programmatic spending year-over-year.” 
 

The group also called on lawmakers to reject “side deals, gimmicks, or any other mechanism designed to hide the true number.” 

The Hill’s Aris Foley and Tobias Burns have more here.