House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California faces a leadership test immediately after his historic victory in the battle for the speaker’s gavel: enacting the rules package that helped appease his Republican rivals.
The House Republican Conference allies of Mr. McCarthy are fighting against the rules that will govern the chamber because they believe he gave up too much power as a speaker in order to secure the position.
In Mr. McCarthy’s tiny majority, some Republicans would object to the nebulous terms of his concessions to the Freedom Caucus’ conservative members until more information about the secret talks is made public.
The deals include one that reduces the speaker’s authority by allowing any one member to force a vote on resigning the chair, one that reinstates lawmakers’ ability to offer amendments on appropriations bills, one that establishes a mandatory 72-hour review period for legislation before a vote, and one that commits to voting on a bill to impose term limits on members of Congress.
Rep. Chip Roy, a Texas Republican who defected and ultimately voted for Mr. McCarthy on the general election ballot, said on CNN’s “State of the Union” that he and other rank-and-file members were “trying to stand up for rank-and-file members, because too often… bills are cooked up with a handful of people, brought through to the Rules Committee, jammed through, and put on the floor, and you have to vote yes or no.”
