Seven conservative bills are guaranteed to receive a House vote as a result of last week’s tough speakership negotiations.
The seven bills, detailed in the House rules package, were negotiated to receive a vote on the House floor in the 118th Congress by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and the 20 conservative holdouts on Friday. The seven bills were instrumental in paving the way for McCarthy to win the gavel.
The House rules package promises the seven bills will receive a vote on the House floor and will not be blocked by House leadership.
If passed by both the House and the Senate, the bills will curtail the IRS, illegal immigration, China, and abortion. The specifics of the negotiated language are below:
1) A bill to rescind certain balances made available to the Internal Revenue Service.
2) A bill to authorize the Secretary of Homeland Security to suspend the entry of aliens, and of other persons.
3) A bill to prohibit the Secretary of Energy from sending petroleum products from the Strategic Oil Reserves to China, and for other purposes.
4) A bill to amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act to direct the district attorney and prosecutors office to report to the attorney general, and for other purposes.
5) A bill to require a national instant crime background check system to notify U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and relevant State and Local law enforcement agencies whenever the information available to the system indicates that a person illegally or unlawfully in the United States may be attempting to receive a firearm.
6) A bill to prohibit taxpayer funded abortions.
7) A bill to amend Title 18, United States Code, to prohibit a healthcare practitioner from failing to exercise the proper degree of care in case of a child who survives an abortion or attempted abortion.
The package also includes several rules that will serve as guardrails for the House moving forward. Those rules include that any one member can force a “motion to vacate” the speaker’s chair; provisions to reduce out-of-control spending, taxes, and debt limit increases; at least 72 hours between the release of bill text and floor vote; and “conservative representation” on important House committees.
“It’s critically important that the Rules Committee reflect the body and reflect the will of the people. And that is a part of this framework,” Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) told reporters before the 15th round of speakership vote. “What we’ve agreed to in framework will need to have accountability. We need to be able to continue to trust that we’re going to be able to execute on what we’ve agreed to in framework.”
Former speaker of the House Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) was critical of the rules package because it diminished the ability of the Republican-controlled House to kowtow to Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senate Democrats.
“What we’re seeing is the incredibly shrinking speakership,” he told reporters. “It is not a good thing for the House of Representatives. We are the people’s house. We have to negotiate with the Senate. We have to negotiate with the White House. And instead, we are diminishing the leadership role of the House.”
