Seven hard-line House Republicans lay out Speaker demands amid McCarthy opposition
by Emily Brooks - 12/09/22 10:54 AM ET
A group of seven hard-line conservative House Republicans who have withheld support from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) bid for Speaker laid out a list of demands for the House they expect from a Speaker.
The letter does not specifically mention McCarthy, but comes as five other House Republicans have said or strongly indicated that they will not support the GOP leader for the gavel. As Republicans head into a narrow 222 to 212 majority, the opposition has the potential to keep him from securing the gavel.
The letter sent to colleagues on Thursday came from House Freedom Caucus Chairman Scott Perry (R-Pa.) along with GOP Reps. Chip Roy (Texas), Dan Bishop (N.C.), Andrew Clyde (Ga.) and Paul Gosar (Ariz.) and Reps.-elect Eli Crane (Ariz.) and Andy Ogles (Tenn.).
“As we form the 118th Congress, any GOP Speaker candidate must make clear he or she will advance rules, policies, and an organizational structure that will result in the values listed below,” the letter said. “The House of Representatives serves as the people’s voice in our system of government and it requires leadership to unleash its full power to check the Executive Branch, push the Senate to act, and responsibly exercise its strongest tool — the power of the purse.”
The requests in the Thursday letter include:
Restore any member’s ability to make a “Motion to Vacate the Chair” and force a vote on removing the Speaker. Former Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), a founding Freedom Caucus member, helped propel former Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) toward retirement by making a motion to vacate the chair in 2015.
Require at least 72 hours from release of final bill text before it gets a vote on the House floor.
Bar House GOP leadership and leadership-affiliated PACs from getting involved in primaries. The McCarthy-aligned Congressional Leadership Fund was active in many House primaries boosting McCarthy-friendly candidates in the 2022 cycle.
Increase the number of Freedom Caucus members in committee chairmanships and on the House Rules Committee.
Decline to raise debt ceiling without a plan to cap spending and balance the federal budget in 10 years.
Do not “return to the blind embrace of earmarks.” The practice of directing federal spending to a specific recipient or project was brought back in this Congress as “community project funding” after a decadelong ban. The House Republican Conference last month overwhelmingly voted against an internal proposal to ban the practice.
Use “must-pass” bills like the annual defense authorization bill and the farm bill as leverage to secure conservative priorities and “check the Biden administration.”
Create a “Church Committee”-style panel to target “weaponized government.” While McCarthy and House Republicans have promised extensive investigations into the Biden administration and alleged politicization of federal agencies, some, like Roy, think the plans do not go far enough.
Many of the demands were previously articulated in a House Freedom Caucus release over the summer.
more
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/3768571-seven-hardline-house-republicans-lay-out-speaker-demands-amid-mccarthy-opposition/
