WASHINGTON – After a historically tumultuous week electing Republican Kevin McCarthy as speaker, the House reconvened Monday evening to adopt the new rules for the 118th Congress.
- Expect more fiery debates: Adoption of the rules are often a below-the-radar exercise designed to make sure the House operates smoothly over the next two years. But the debate over these rules is likely to be heated given that Republicans who are taking the reins from Democrats want to aggressively investigate the Biden administration, and a faction of hard-line GOP lawmakers were able to wrest key concessions that give them more power.
- What rules changes are being considered?: The rules under consideration would give more power to individual members, allow for aggressive investigation of the administration on issues such as COVID-19 and the southern border; and make it more difficult to increase federal spending.
- Possible Republican defectors emerge: All 212 Democrats are expected to vote against the package, which might also get some resistance from centrists Republicans concerned McCarthy is giving too much to ultra conservatives. Rep. Tony Gonzales, a moderate Republican from Uvalde, Texas, said he is a “no.” And Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., said she is on the fence about whether to vote in favor of the rules package.
Here are the latest developments:
More:Rules package vote in Congress: What we know about it and what McCarthy gave to his holdouts
No more candid cameras: C-SPAN television cameras removed from House chamber
During last week’s debate over Kevin McCarthy’s bid to become House Speaker, C-SPAN cameras caught candid shots of lawmakers conversing, arguing, and even pointing fingers at each other; C-SPAN beamed in when McCarthy confronted vocal critic Matt Gaetz, for example.
Well, those days are gone.
Thanks to McCarthy’s win, per standard procedure, Republicans put their own cameras in the House, and party-run cameras tend not to wander around the chamber in pursuit of interesting shots. C-SPAN was able to televise the McCarthy debate because, technically, no one was in charge of the House.
C-SPAN deliver the news on Twitter:
“NOTE: C-SPAN cameras are no longer in the House chamber,” the tweet said. “We have resumed using the feed from House/government-operated cameras.”
– David Jackson
Dramatic moments of speaker debate on camera:A near fight on House floor, other dramatic moments caught on camera in McCarthy speaker saga
Reps. Jason Smith, Mark Green to take over key committees
Missouri Rep. Jason Smith, serving his sixth congressional term, is set to chair the powerful Ways and Means Committee. The 42-year-old will be the youngest chairman in the committee’s history after beating out Reps. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., and Adrian Smith, R-Neb., for the committee’s gavel.
Tennessee Rep. Mark Green will chair the Homeland Security Committee, filling the vacancy left by the retirement of former Rep. John Katko, R-N.Y., after winning the chair over Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw. Green, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, is a win for hard-line conservatives, seeking additional representation on key committees and roles.
– Sarah Elbeshbishi
House GOP eyes high-profile investigations
Once House Republicans adopt their rules, they are expected to follow up on their promise to investigate the Department of Justice and what House Speaker Kevin McCarthy alleged as “an intolerable state of weaponized politicization.”
The subcommittee, formally titled as the “Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government,” would be under the House Judiciary Committee, chaired by Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan.
Jordan would also lead the subcommittee, which is expected to be where much of the back and forth between House Republicans and the Justice Department take place.
Notably, the committee would also investigate the DOJ’s role in collecting “information on or otherwise investigate citizens of the United States, including ongoing criminal investigations,” which includes the department’s various ongoing investigations into former President Donald Trump.
Another select committee strikes a more bipartisan note, aimed at increasing the U.S.’s competitiveness with China.
Wisconsin Republican Rep. Mike Gallagher has been tapped to lead the committee as chairman. The former marine and intelligence officer has had a history of bipartisanship, working with Democrats on legislation focused on American competition with China.
– Ken Tran
The House starts debate to consider rules
The House is finally getting to business after McCarthy’s long and drawn out fight for speaker.
On the agenda for House Republicans on Monday night is passing a rules package that will decide how the chamber operates over the next two years. The rules package contains various provisions that will empower individual members of the House and also allow GOP lawmakers to aggressively investigate the White House.
House Republicans are also planning to pass their first bill – rescinding money for the Internal Revenue Service to hire new full-time workers.
– Ken Tran
Opponents say new Republican House rules will impede ethics investigations
Critics of House Republicans have zeroed in on little-noticed potential rule changes that appear to have a specific target: Ethics investigations.
One proposal would re-establish term limits for members of the bipartisan Office of Congressional Ethics; another would limit the office’s ability to hire staff members to the first 30 days of a new congressional session, even though it is hard to find people to fill the jobs.
The ultimate effect, said congressional watchdogs, would be to slow down and hamper investigations of ethic complaints against lawmakers – say, people like Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., who campaigned for office while lying about his background and experience.
“House GOP is trying to shred the Office of Congressional Ethics – despite having members like Santos in their ranks,” tweeted Norm Eisen, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Brookings Institution. “(Or is it BECAUSE they have members like Santos in their ranks?)”
Republican leaders have not commented publicly about who is pushing these changes and why.
– David Jackson
The motion to vacate, and how would it work:
Of all the concessions McCarthy made to win the gavel, returning the House to a rule where one lawmaker has the power to call for a vote to oust the speaker is arguably the most controversial.
When former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats were in charge, the so-called “motion to vacate” could only be initiated if a majority of the party caucus wanted such a step. If adopted by the Republicans, a single member could – at any time demand a vote ditching McCarthy or any speaker who follows him over the next two years.
It isn’t a sure bet that such a move would succeed, but some GOP officials fret it will turn into a procedural nightmare for Congress in the coming months. Historically, it’s use was very rare, but in 2015 then-Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., used it against then-Speaker John Boehner before the Ohio Republican surrendered the gavel.
Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said Sunday during an appearance on Meet The Press that no one can rule out “one person who tries to abuse” the motion, but that he’s confident fellow GOP lawmakers will give McCarthy room to govern.
– Phillip M. Bailey
Proxy voting being eliminated after more than two years
Republicans on Monday are expected to end the use of proxy voting (casting votes electronically from outside the chamber) in the House chamber more than two years after it was implemented in the wake of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.
Proxy voting began in March 2020 amid a global shutdown due to the coronavirus rapidly spreading – allowing lawmakers to vote from home. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., extended the measure through the 117th Congress’ term that ended on Jan. 3.
House Republicans vocally opposed proxy voting and promised to end the practice when they gained back power. Last month, then-House Republican leader (and now, Speaker) Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., tweeted the GOP will “return the House back to a functioning constitutional body by repealing proxy voting once and for all.”
– Mabinty Quarshie
House member to watch: Rep. James Comer of Kentucky
One lawmaker to keep an eye on is Kentucky Rep. James Comer, who is slated to chair the House Oversight Committee, arguably the premier investigative committee in the chamber.
Comer has promised extensive investigations into Hunter Biden’s financial dealings and compliance with tax laws, concerned about whether Joe Biden has been compromised by son Hunter Biden’s business interests.
“If Mr. Biden’s family members have deals with foreign adversaries, it could compromise his decision-making as president in a way that threatens national security,” wrote Comer in an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal.
House member to watch: Rep. Jim Jordan
Also pay attention to Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, who will likely chair the House Judiciary Committee.
Jordan is expected to open an aggressive probe into the Department of Justice for its search of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence and his handling of classified documents.
– Candy Woodall
More:House GOP removed metal detectors outside House chamber days before Jan. 6 riot anniversary
Matt Gaetz, Mike Rogers make peace after heated moment during speaker drama
Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., has forgiven the fellow lawmaker who lunged at him during Friday’s raucous House speaker election.
When McCarthy failed to win the 14th ballot Friday, Rep. Mike Rogers appeared to charge at Gaetz and a group of seated lawmakers on the House floor. The Alabama Republican had to be physically restrained by a colleague in a moment that was seen on national TV.
But Gaetz, who serves on the Armed Service Committee with Rogers, said Sunday the two have a six-year working relationship and will be able to get along going forward.“I don’t think there should be any punishment or reprisal just because he had an animated moment,” Gaetz, of Florida said via Twitter. “He has my forgiveness.”
Rogers responded online Sunday, saying he “briefly lost my temper… and appreciate Matt’s kind understanding.”
– Phillip M. Bailey
