A proposal that would have made it harder for rank-and-file lawmakers to depose the House speaker will not be among the new rules governing the 115th Congress, according to a key lawmaker.
“It did not get included as part of the rules package,” Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., told the Washington Examiner. “It’s really not something we are discussing at all.”
Other sources confirmed the proposal to neuter the “vacate the chair” motion will be excluded from the House rules, which lawmakers must vote to approve on Jan. 3, the opening day of Congress.
Some lawmakers had backed the change in order to protect House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., from conservatives like Meadows. His introduction of a motion to vacate the chair in July 2015 helped pressure former House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, to announce his retirement two months later.
But Meadows, the incoming chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, a faction of the most conservative lawmakers who have often bucked the leadership, said GOP leaders have dropped their threat of making the rules change.
At the same time, conservatives appear far less interested in using the vacate-the-chair motion in the near future against Ryan, who they have praised for his inclusive leadership style.
“I enjoy a good relationship with the speaker,” Meadows told the Examiner. “And I think it is incumbent upon all of us to figure out how we can legislate going forward, understanding there may be difference in opinion on how conservative a piece of legislation needs to be.”
Officially, committee staff say the rules package is incomplete and declined to say whether the change to the motion would be included in the package.
The change was first proposed by Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee who has long been frustrated with Freedom Caucus members clashing with the leadership. Citing the “turmoil” caused by unexpected leadership changes, Nunes pitched a rules change that would have required a majority vote by the ruling party before a member could trigger a floor vote to vacate the speaker’s chair.
A spokesman for Nunes said he has not finalized his proposed rules changes, but other sources have confirmed the motion to vacate the chair will not be in the final House package.
By leaving out the proposed change, GOP leaders will help ensure a smooth re-election for Ryan, who has served as speaker since November 2015, taking over for Boehner.
Republicans will have a 20 seat majority next year, which means just 20 Republicans have the power to block Ryan from becoming speaker. Changing the rules to make it more difficult to oust the speaker would have angered the House Freedom Caucus, made up of nearly 40 Republicans, and could have triggered a floor revolt among those conservatives on Jan. 3, when the House votes for speaker.
Outside conservative groups have been warning the GOP leadership to drop the proposed change, arguing it would gut a powerful and necessary oversight tool.
“If a Speaker begins to lose his or her way and act in a manner that harms the House, this procedural tool serves as a vital accountability mechanism,” Adam Brandon is the president and CEO of FreedomWorks, wrote in an Examiner op-ed.
