The new House GOP majority passes the rules package with just a Republican raid — allowing only one member to vote to oust the speaker, end proxy voting and create new select committees
- The House of Representatives passed a package of rules Monday night between 220 and 213, with only one Republican defection, that of moderate Rep. Tony Gonzales
- Another Texas Republican, Rep. Dan Crenshaw, disagreed
- The package includes some, but not all, of the concessions McCarthy made to the 20th House Republican group to win his speech as Speaker
- It also included the demise of proxy voting and virtual attendance at congressional committee meetings
The House of Representatives passed a relatively little drama rule package Monday night 220-213 as the first agenda item for new majority House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
The 55-page package includes some, but not all, of the concessions McCarthy made to the Group of 20 House Republicans to get his bid as speaker over the line early Saturday morning and after 15 votes.
It includes the motion to vacate the provision allowing only one member to remove the Speaker of the House — one of the top Conservative demands.
It also eliminates proxy voting and virtual attendance at congressional committee meetings — which Democrats have instituted to manage the spread of COVID in the Capitol complex.
After the weekend’s oratory drama, the House returned to session Monday and passed a rules package with only one GOP defector and one Republican refusing to vote
After Friday night and Saturday morning drama, which ended with the election of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Monday night’s rule voting was relatively drama-free
Rep. Tony Gonzales, a Republican from Texas, was the only “no” vote on the rules package Monday night. Another Texas Republican, Rep. Dan Crenshaw, disagreed
“For far too long, the House of Representatives has allowed members to do their jobs from home without ever setting foot in Washington,” Republican Representative Tom Cole said on the House floor.
Cole will chair the powerful House Rules Committee and went through some of the changes included in the House Rules package before voting began Monday night.
He noted that with the Republicans assuming leadership of the committee, the special committee that had been investigating the COVID-19 pandemic would refocus and focus on examining the origins of COVID and the negative impact shutdowns have had on the country .
House Republicans are also creating a special committee on competition in China, he said. They will also look at the so-called “arming” of the Justice Department.
The new rules included a number of provisions in line with fiscal conservatism.
Instead of what Democrats called “PAYGO” — pay as you go — which required legislation that boosted the deficit with tax increases or spending cuts, Republicans are introducing “CUTGO,” meaning only spending cuts can offset mandatory spending increases.
House Republicans doubled their waiver of tax increases by including in the rules package a three-fifths body threshold for implementing new tax increases.
Republicans also overturned the so-called “Gephardt rule,” which automatically raises the debt ceiling when a budget is passed.
They brought back the so-called “Holman Rule,” which allows Congress to change a spending law by cutting programs, firing federal employees, or cutting their salaries.
House Progressive Caucus Chair Rep. Pramila Jayapal called it a “set of rules for MAGA extremists” in a speech Monday night.
All 212 Democrats voted against the rule package.
Only one Republican, moderate Texas Rep. Tony Gonzales, voted against.
His Texan compatriot, Rep. Dan Crenshaw, disagreed.
Moderate Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina eventually voted in favor of the package after initially saying she was on the fence.
House Progressive Caucus Chair Rep. Pramila Jayapal called it a “set of rules for MAGA extremists” in a speech.
Monday marked the first day of the House of Representatives after the dramatic showdown on Friday night and Saturday morning that finally allowed McCarthy to capture the speakership.
The House is also voting on an IRS bill that will roll back money to hire more staff.
Last week, it took McCarthy 15 rounds of voting to eventually become Speaker
KEVIN MCCARTHY’S CONCESSIONS TO WIN HOUSE SPEAKER
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy finally earned his gavel last week after 15 rounds of voting. To win, however, he had to give in to some big demands from 20 conservative dissenters. Those concessions could lead to more chaos among moderate Republicans as the 118th Congress begins. McCarthy’s concessions include:
RESTORATION OF MOTION TO NOISE
The resignation motion allows any individual member to remove McCarthy as speaker.
VOTING ON RESTRICTIONS
A floor vote was secured to set term limits for all members of the House of Representatives, something lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have been pushing for in recent years. There is currently no term limit.
GIVE FREEDOM CAUCUS MORE POWER
The Conservative House Freedom Caucus will get three of the nine seats on the powerful House Rules Committee, which has a big say in bills and amendments.
END OF OMNIBUS
McCarthy agreed to vote separately on spending bills instead of bundling them into one massive catch-all bill like the $1.7 trillion passed in December 2022.
REDUCING EXPENSES
The concessions, introduced just two years ago, limit government spending to a lower level. This means that most programs will receive cuts.
PROBES IN PROBES
A new judiciary subcommittee is set to focus on “arming the federal government,” investigating the FBI, the DOJ’s raid on former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, and Homeland Security.
In a last-minute deal Friday, McCarthy also agreed to give the select subcommittee access to information shared with the House Intelligence Committee — including “ongoing criminal investigations.”
DECREASE GOP PRIMARY COMPETITIONS
McCarthy agreed to keep his money from the Congressional Leadership Fund PAC out of races against conservative members in safe districts.
RE-INTRODUCTION OF THE HOLMAN RULE
The Holman Rule permits amendments to cut lawmakers’ salaries, lay off federal employees and cut programs.
ADD TIME TO VERIFY INVOICES
The concessions created a 72-hour review period to give House members more time to review bills before they hit the bottom