Legislation House of Representatives Committee on Rules

Table Of Content

• ‘Rivers in the sky’ have drenched California, yet even more extreme rains are possible
• House Rules Committee Debates Foreign Aid Bills, Part 1
• Chairman McGovern Opens Debate on Rule for the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act
• Gaetz says McCarthy "has been very thorough" in responding to demands of GOP holdouts
• Democrats provide critical votes to advance GOP foreign aid package

Ultimately, they narrowed down a lengthy list to just seven amendments for consideration during floor debate, with no amendments being allowed on the Israel aid measure. That makes it the only all-or-nothing vote that lawmakers will face on the foreign aid package, in many ways making it more important than any of the votes on the individual pieces of the plan. The measure also includes aid to Taiwan and a package of sweeteners including a bill to require the sale of TikTok by its Chinese owner or ban the app in the United States. The need for bipartisan support was clear Thursday when the Freedom Caucus, made up of 30 to 40 rebellious conservatives, announced its opposition to the rule for the aid package because it doesn’t include border security legislation. Republicans control the House with only a two-vote margin so Democratic support is required to offset dozens of GOP defections.

‘Rivers in the sky’ have drenched California, yet even more extreme rains are possible

As a result, Johnson and his predecessor, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, have seen several rules fail on the floor, largely over objections from the right flank of the party. Upon passage, expected Saturday, the bills would be stitched together into one measure under the rule, known in House parlance as a “MIRV” — multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle, like the ballistic missile technology of the same name. The vehicle will be the Senate-passed supplemental package, which is very similar in content. The House Rules Committee debates four bills that would provide U.S. military aid to Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan as well as require the use of some U.S.-seized Russian assets to repay the aid to Ukraine. The Florida congressman, who has declined to support McCarthy in any of the previous 13 votes for speaker, would not answer when asked repeatedly if he is open to voting present during the next vote at 10 p.m.

House Rules Committee Debates Foreign Aid Bills, Part 1

The aid bills for Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific largely mirror a Senate-passed combined measure, with $60.8 billion for the Ukraine war effort, and nearly $26.4 billion in military aid to Israel and humanitarian assistance for Gaza. Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., said he and others wanted to raise the threshold for a motion to vacate the speaker’s chair, which currently just needs one advocate under a House rules change last year. McCarthy allies have told members to prepare for a very late night to approve a rules package after they are sworn into office, the sources say. GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz told CNN he is still "taking a look" at the House rules package that could come to a floor vote tonight if Rep. Kevin McCarthy is elected speaker.

Rules Committee Hearing H.R. 357, 1147, 6570, 6611 House of Representatives Committee on Rules - House Rules Committee

Rules Committee Hearing H.R. 357, 1147, 6570, 6611 House of Representatives Committee on Rules.

Posted: Mon, 11 Dec 2023 15:48:56 GMT [source]

Chairman McGovern Opens Debate on Rule for the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act

One member, Thomas Brackett Reed (R-Maine), used a seat on the Rules Committee to vault himself to the Speakership, and gained so much power that he was referred to as "Czar Reed".

He has since announced plans to retire at the end of this Congress and has been named Senate Foreign Relations chair. Until another senator is named to the Judiciary committee, the panel is evenly split with 10 Republicans and 10 Democrats. Rep. Mike Lawler, a moderate Republican from a New York swing district, said Thursday the threshold should be changed "immediately." Some Democrats have indicated they would help save Johnson if the motion to vacate comes to the floor.

Rules Committee Hearing H.R. 7160 and H.Res. 987 House of Representatives Committee on Rules - House Rules Committee

Rules Committee Hearing H.R. 7160 and H.Res. 987 House of Representatives Committee on Rules.

Posted: Thu, 01 Feb 2024 13:15:45 GMT [source]

Greene, ironically, secured one of the seven amendments allowed under the rule. Top Democrats hinted earlier Thursday they were likely to lend their votes on the House floor so as not to sink long-stalled aid to key allies. The three GOP defections on the Rules panel meant Democratic votes were needed to advance the rule, which presages a similar outcome on the floor Friday. “I’m working with a group of members to change the rule so they can’t get that done, so that one knucklehead can’t put the whole House into disarray by forcing another speaker vote,” Johnson said.

Rep. Byron Donalds says it was "super humbling" to receive votes for House speaker

Two of the Republicans who had opposed McCarthy until Friday afternoon – Florida Rep. Byron Donalds and Texas Rep. Chip Roy – had called on the House to change leadership and debate rules over Ukraine aid. CNN previously reported that Rep. Kevin McCarthy and his allies are trying to convince some of the holdouts to simply vote "present" (rather than for or against him) to help lower the threshold of votes needed for McCarthy to become speaker. Washington — The House cleared a procedural hurdle to advance legislation to provide billions of dollars in stalled security funding for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan on Friday, steering the measures closer toward passage this weekend.

But Johnson went on social media Thursday to say the House will "continue to govern under the existing rules." Rep. Bob Good, who chairs the House Freedom Caucus, said that although he disagrees with Johnson, he doesn't think it's in Republicans' interest to remove him as speaker. Arizona GOP Rep. Paul Gosar, seen here on Capitol Hill in June 2023, announced Friday he's joining the move to oust Mike Johnson as House speaker.

Democrats provide critical votes to advance GOP foreign aid package

Sen. Alex Padilla, also a Democrat, is not expected to give up his seat, so it is unlikely that Feinstein’s successor will end up there as well, particularly if other, more senior senators are interested in the spot. But even without delays from Republicans, Feinstein’s successor isn’t guaranteed her seats on the powerful Judiciary and Appropriations committees. The Los Angeles Times’ Benjamin Oreskes breaks down how Gov. Gavin Newsom may decide on who will fill the late senators vacant seat and the legacy she leaves behind.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein was the most senior Democrat on two of the Senate’s most powerful committees, and her death could set off a cascade of changes that affect California’s power in Washington. The Committee on Rules may meet the week of April 29th to provide for floor consideration of H.R. "We're going to do what's necessary to make sure that the national security bill gets over the finish line," House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Thursday morning. Republican Reps. Chip Roy, Thomas Massie and Ralph Norman voted against the rule in committee. Several members of the Republican conference had called for a Thursday rule to include changing the threshold to bring a motion to remove the speaker — which currently is just one member. The trio of Republicans have expressed dismay that Johnson forged ahead with Ukraine aid without securing support for a bill aimed to strengthen security along the U.S.-Southern border.

Between control over amendments, debate, and when measures will be considered, the Rules Committee exerts vast power in the House. As such, the majority party will usually be very keen on controlling it tightly. While most House committees maintain membership in a rough proportion to the full chamber (if the majority party controls 55% of the House, it will tend to have 55% of committee seats), membership on the Rules Committee is disproportionately in favor of the majority party. Furthermore, the rules committee typically operates in a very partisan fashion, advancing "special rule" resolutions to the floor on straight party line votes in nearly all cases.