Republicans heading into the House minority are now aiming their anger at a familiar target inside their own ranks.
GOP lawmakers are weighing new conference rules to discipline “maverick” holdouts who vote against key procedural motions or otherwise undercut party leaders, Politico reported Friday, citing six people who spoke on condition of anonymity. The fight could come to a head as soon as next week, when the conference finalizes its rules package.
The effort is aimed squarely at the hardliners who exploited the GOP’s razor-thin majority to wring concessions out of leadership over the past two years. That includes House Freedom Caucus members, who repeatedly refused to advance the “rules” that set up floor debates, and Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), who turned to discharge petitions more than once to go around top party leaders.
Many of those members are seen as allies of Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), the incoming House minority leader, leaving him wedged between his hardline friends and a frustrated rank-and-file demanding a crackdown.
“There’s a strong push for accountability for those who deliberately sabotage the will of the team,” one House Republican told Politico.
Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID) said colleagues pushed the idea of punishing members during a closed-door leadership election this week, insisting he had “never” witnessed as many rebellions as Republicans endured over the last two years.
“What do you do with those people?” Simpson asked. “There [are] a lot of people [who] are very upset about that, and it’s a hard thing to try to deal with. How do you punish them?”
Punishments under discussion include stripping members of their committee assignments, according to Politico. Because Republicans are losing control of the floor, any new rules would carry little immediate weight, but some members are pressing ahead to set a precedent for future GOP majorities and make clear that Republicans can’t back Democratic procedural votes.
Simpson argued it may be “the perfect time” to act since “it probably really doesn’t matter right now.” He conceded that he once voted for a Democratic rule on a bill he had negotiated himself, so “some leeway” would make sense.
Luna made clear she opposes the move.
“There’s a difference between going against a rule and effectively preventing us from being able to legislate,” she told Politico. “They’re effectively trying to control us.”
The conference rules debate was originally slated for this week but was shelved indefinitely at Jordan’s request after he won the leader race. It’s expected to be rescheduled soon.
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