House Narrowly Approves Rules Amid Concerns About McCarthy's Concessions

[brooklynite]

Source: New York Times

WASHINGTON — House Republicans on Monday pushed through an overhaul of operating rules for the new Congress, overcoming the concerns of some rank-and-file members about concessions that Speaker Kevin McCarthy made to the hard right last week in the desperate and drawn-out process of securing his job.

Mr. McCarthy clinched the speaker’s gavel early Saturday after a historic 15 rounds of voting that stretched across five days, and after giving in to a sweeping series of demands from the ultraconservative rebels who opposed him, including allowing any single lawmaker to call a snap vote to oust him. The struggle underscored how difficult it would be for him to corral his narrow majority, and in the hours before the vote on Monday, he was already confronting his first challenge, uncertain whether he would have the votes even to approve the rules that would allow the House to begin legislative business.

In the end, a handful of holdouts dropped their opposition and supported the measure, putting aside reservations about Mr. McCarthy’s concessions, including some that they worried could lead to deep cuts in military spending.

The package passed on Monday evening in a mostly party-line vote of 220-213, with just one Republican voting “no.” It includes the so-called Holman rule, which allows lawmakers to use spending bills to defund specific programs and fire federal officials or reduce their pay; makes it harder for lawmakers to raise the debt limit; and paves the way for the creation of a new select subcommittee under the Judiciary Committee focused on the “weaponization” of the federal government.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/09/us/politics/house-rules-republicans-mccarthy.html

[Freethinker65]

1. Defunding Justice! Run with that Democrats. The GOP is defunding Justice.

[iluvtennis]

2. I'm assuming that the Senate would need to approve these items - is that correct?

It includes the so-called Holman rule, which allows lawmakers to:

(1) use spending bills to defund specific programs
(2) use spending bills to fire federal officials or reduce their pay
(3) make it harder for lawmakers to raise the debt limit

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

3. No these are just procedural rules the House uses

Each body of Congress makes their own rules.

[iluvtennis]

5. Thanks for the reply @Yo_Mama - another question for clarification.

So when it says "use spending bills to fire federal officials or reduce their pay" that just means that GOP House members can include the these type of assertions in their proposed bills.

Sorry I'm being dense here, but I just want to understand the process. Thanks for clarifying.

[sir pball]

7. The House can reduce funding to $1 for any Federal office.

It's technically not dissolving the office or firing the staff, but it's the functional equivalent. In this case it's just symbolic since the Senate won't pass any bill with that condition.

[iluvtennis]

9. Got it, thank you. n/t

[Grimelle]

13. Yes

Dead on arrival.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

4. Tony Gonzales is lone GOP vote against House rules package

Rep. Tony Gonzales (Texas) was the lone Republican to vote against the GOP majority’s new House rules package on Monday after raising concerns about possible defense budget cuts over the weekend.

Gonzales revealed on CBS’s “Face The Nation” on Sunday that he planned to oppose the rules package, saying the potential defense cuts were “a horrible idea,”, pointing specifically to an “aggressive Russia in Ukraine” and the “growing threat of China in the Pacific.”

The package is the set of rules that will govern the chamber over the next legislative session. The rules were the subject of much debate over the last week, as now-Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) offered key concessions over the package to lock down the support of Republicans who opposed his bid for the gavel.

Concessions in the rules package included a required 72-hour window from the release of a bill before it could face a vote and allowing any single member to bring up a “motion to vacate” the Speaker.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/tony-gonzales-is-lone-gop-vote-against-house-rules-package/ar-AA169hQ0

Guess he's not a Putin patsy.

[GoldandSilver]

6. Rats in the kitchen...

McCarthy let the rats invade the kitchen. A vile sort himself, the new Speaker groveled before the Insurrectionist’s Caucus and gave into their demands. Now the rest of us have to cope with the havoc they will wreak. Even moderate Repugnants will struggle with this bunch.

We can only hope for a brighter future when they’ve been ousted.

Buckle up, folks. It’s going to be really bumpy ride.

[groundloop]

8. I just pray that bumpy ride doesn't leave any long term damage

[pfitz59]

10. They will all be jockeying for soundbites for 2024

Nothing of substance will happen.

[quakerboy]

11. Its all theater

They are all on board. If theres one thing republicans can be relied on to do, its unite behind bad ideas.

[bucolic_frolic]

12. Kevin I-gave-away-the-store McCarthy

Does he have any remaining power?

[louis-t]

14. Repug phony complaints about Dems "weaponizing the government"

as repugs weaponize the government.

[The Roux Comes First]

15. As I Understand It (a Big Caveat), One Huge Concession is That Any Single Member Can Call for

A vote to replace the Speaker. Is that generally correct? At any time?

This would be an unfamiliar role for dems, but what is to prevent them (us) from invoking this clause increasingly frequently as the ineptitude, corruption, and fame-seeking of the circus becomes more apparent? Yes, it could be propagandized as thwarting the law-making role of the House, but it seems highly unlikely we will see much of that of any actual use to the American people anytime soon.

Elucidation, please!!

[SlimJimmy]

16. Yes, any representative can call for the vote.

However, using the rule too frequently could be a political trap and cause serious blowback from the general public. Also, having only a single representative call for the vote would also look like politics at work. It would be much better to have 20-30 representatives calling for the vote.

[SlimJimmy]

17. The NYT headline is a bit misleading.

There was only one defection from the repukes on the rules vote.