Firebrand appointments to Rules panel may haunt McCarthy
BY MIKE LILLIS AND MYCHAEL SCHNELL - 01/25/23 6:00 AM ETSpeaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) decision to promote conservative firebrands to the House Rules Committee has given some of his leading GOP detractors enormous new powers to dictate the party’s legislative agenda — and may cause headaches for Republican leaders down the line.
The Rules Committee, a relatively obscure panel, is also among the most powerful, getting the last crack at most legislation before it’s sent to the House floor. That means it dictates not only the content of those proposals, but also the guidelines under which they’re debated.
Historically, Speakers of both parties have stacked the committee with close allies to ensure maximum control over how, what and when bills come to the floor. But this year is different.
Faced with a revolt from conservatives in his own conference, McCarthy promised them new spots on the Rules panel — one of the many concessions he made to win their support for his Speakership. And he made good on that offer on Monday when he named three conservatives — Reps. Chip Roy (R-Texas), Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) — to the committee.
Roy and Massie, in particular, have been frequently at odds with their own leadership on issues of budgets and spending. And all three lawmakers have been highly critical of the top-down legislative approach adopted by leaders of both parties in years past. They’re vowing to support only those rules that leave bills open to greater debate and additional amendments.
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https://thehill.com/homenews/house/3828997-conservative-additions-to-rules-panel-may-haunt-gop-leaders-who-put-them-there/
